ClassAction.org is alerting women to recent reports that court documents have shown that the use of a material in vaginal mesh products sold by C. R. Bard that was not suitable for use in devices implanted in patients, according to the material’s supplier.
Documents filed in West Virginia’s federal court in 2004 and 2007, and now unsealed as part of court records, have reportedly revealed that a resin-based plastic, polypropylene, was used in the manufacture of hernia-repair mesh products produced by Bard’s Davol unit. It has been alleged that this same mesh was also used in some of the company’s transvaginal mesh devices. According to plaintiff’s lawyers, this was despite the company’s knowledge that the maker, Chevron Phillips Chemical Co., registered an official warning that the resin should not be implanted in patients on a long-term or permanent basis. Reports citing newly revealed emails sent from Bard’s Davol unit have suggested that Bard may have attempted to hide the intended use of the resin from the manufacturer, aware that the company would be unwilling to agree to its use in medical devices. One e-mail sent by a company executive reportedly instructs workers to omit Davol’s name in discussions as “it is likely they do not know of our implant application.”
The FDA first issued a warning about the possible dangers of transvaginal mesh products in October 2008, and has since received thousands of reports of complications. TVM is used primarily to treat women with urinary stress incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. The FDA reports that the most common complaints include infection, pain, recurrences of prolapse and incontinence and, in extreme cases, organ perforation and scarring. Following allegations that the devices were defective, multiple lawsuits have been launched seeking compensation on behalf of injured women.
On June 4, 2013, U.S. District Judge Joseph Goodwin ruled that the e-mails pertaining to the resin-based mesh raised “a genuine issue of material fact” regarding whether Bard knew that its products and conduct were likely to cause harm. Ongoing lawsuits continue to seek financial and punitive compensation for those affected by transvaginal mesh products.
If you have been fitted with a vaginal mesh device, and experienced side effects or injury, visit ClassAction.org today to find out more about ongoing lawsuits and how you might be able to take part in seeking compensation. The attorneys working with our site continue to investigate claims and offer free case evaluations, with no obligation, at http://www.classaction.org/transvaginal-mesh.html.
About Class Action.org
Class Action.org is dedicated to protecting consumers and investors in class actions and complex litigation throughout the United States. Class Action.org keeps consumers informed about product alerts, recalls, and emerging litigation and helps them take action against the manufacturers of defective products, drugs, and medical devices. Information about consumer fraud issues and environmental hazards is also available on the site. Visit http://www.classaction.org today for a no
