Medical device makers C.R. Bard, Boston Scientific, Endo Health Solutions, Coloplast, and Cook Medical are reportedly in talks to settle thousands of lawsuits over their allegedly defective mesh implants. In 2011, the Food and Drug Administration released a
safety communication warning the public about the medical concerns of transvaginal mesh implants, which are commonly used as treatment for medical conditions such as stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and pelvic organ prolapse (POP). Now, more than 30,000 suits have been filed on behalf of women who claim to have been injured by mesh implants, and with the talk of settlements in the works, some believe that number could nearly double. Johnson & Johnson, also under scrutiny for their mesh implants, are not participating in the reported settlement talks, even though they face 12,250 suits, Bloomberg.com reports. If you have suffered side effects after undergoing transvaginal mesh surgery, please visit
http://www.classaction.org/transvaginal-mesh.html for more information.
The alerts issued by the FDA in 2011 worked to highlight two main things: first, the dangers transvaginal mesh posed against prior and prospective patients, and second, the organization’s change in position over mesh implants from their previous stance in 2008, now warning the public that transvaginal mesh complications in POP patients are “not rare.” Between 2008 and 2010, the FDA received five times as many reports of adverse effects than they had for the previous three years. The use of mesh “may expose patients to greater risk than other surgical options,” and the report cited erosion as “the most common and consistently reported mesh-related complication.” Infection, bleeding, pain during sexual intercourse, organ perforation, and urinary problems were also issues reportedly linked to the implants. In addition, mesh contraction, previously unidentified as a risk of POP transvaginal surgery, was also found to contribute to pelvic pain and pain during sexual intercourse, according to the agency.
The FDA warned prospective women that if a patient experiences mesh erosion, it can take multiple surgeries to repair the issue; however, surgery does not always guarantee an end to the problem since the implant is permanent, the agency reported. Although the reports did not address abdominally-implanted mesh products, as opposed to those that are transvaginally-implanted, it did state that there have not been any links between complications and a single brand.
Both Bard and Endo have previously resolved suits over their allegedly defective mesh implants. To settle an unspecified number of suits, Endo was ordered to pay over $50 million in damages earlier this year. In 2012, Bard was held liable for $3.6 million in damages for a California woman who claimed she was injured by Bard’s Avaulta implant. In August of this year, the Avaulta implant was under scrutiny once more at the first federal trial facing Bard; the jury ruled that Bard pay $2 million in damages to a woman who claimed she suffered damage to her organs as a result of the implant.
Women who believe they were injured by a mesh implant may still have time to file a claim for compensation. For more information, please visit ClassAction.org today.
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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 ClassAction.org today for a no cost, no obligation case evaluation and information about your consumer rights.
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