A California jury has returned a verdict against Johnson & Johnson (J&J) subsidiary Ethicon for its Abrevvo transvaginal mesh device. The company was found responsible for compensatory damages of $700,000 for injuries to the plaintiff; $5 million of the verdict is for punitive damages, punishing J&J for harmful conduct in selling the Abrevvo mesh for transvaginal use.
Surgical mesh / image – Doctoroftcm – Wikipedia
Ethicon/J&J is one of several manufacturers under fire in thousands of lawsuits involving injuries caused by transvaginal mesh products. C.R. Bard, American Medical Systems, and Boston Scientific are also subject to pending lawsuits, many of which have been consolidated in front of a federal judge in West Virginia.
Many women received transvaginal mesh implants to treat stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and pelvic organ prolapse (POP) hoping for an end to their health problems. Unfortunately, the polypropylene mesh implants used in their surgeries then caused more severe problems, including erosion of the mesh, organ perforation, infection, and severe scarring.
Surgical mesh implants have been used to treat SUI and POP since the 1990s, according to the FDA. In the years that followed, competing medical device manufacturers developed new transvaginal mesh implants to get a share of the market. Between 1992 and 2010, 127 new transvaginal mesh devices were introduced into the U.S. market.
Unfortunately for thousands of women, some of the transvaginal mesh devices that have been used over the past few decades entered the market without undergoing strict, independent safety testing. This has led to a high rate of injuries caused by transvaginal mesh products that are too stiff, not flexing with the body, eroding, and causing perforation of organs by the sharp edges, among other injuries.
Women who have been injured by these dangerous devices should be fairly compensated for their physical injuries and mental anguish. If you or a loved one has received a surgical mesh implant to treat SUI or POP, and suffered severe injuries afterwards, talk to an attorney about your legal rights.
The attorneys at Egerton Law are available for a free consultation, via telephone at 1-800-800-4LAW, or by e-mail using our web contact form. Contact us today with your questions about your transvaginal mesh case.
An attorney with Egerton Law in Greensboro, North Carolina, Ms. Beeson focuses mainly on product liability law. Working within the field itself for several years has given Emily valuable, firsthand knowledge that makes her quite adept at navigating this intricate area of practice.
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