Pelvic, or vaginal, mesh implants treat urinary incontinence as well as repair pelvic organ prolapse. In a class-action case against the pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson, over 700 women claim that the company’s vaginal mesh implants have caused them severe, debilitating pain. Meanwhile, patients from the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom filed tens of thousands of lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson and other manufacturers of these products. For help with similar cases, contact the NJ accident lawyers at The Law Offices of Vincent J. Ciecka, P.C.
Women suing these manufacturers claim that the mesh caused chronic and debilitating pain, infections, loss of sexual function and incontinence. In 2014, a manufacturer of these types of devices, Endo International, decided to pay $830 million to settle over 20,000 personal injury lawsuits relating to their vaginal mesh implants.
The current lawsuit argues that Johnson & Johnson was negligent by failing to warn both doctors and patients about the risks that come with these devices. The lawsuit also claims that the products weren’t applicable for the purposes they were used for, and device testing prior hitting the market was inadequate.
The biggest issue women experienced was the erosion of the device into surrounding tissue and organs, which caused a chronic inflammatory reaction. It also severely hampers, if not eliminates, the sexual function, making relationships difficult.
Johnson & Johnson has sold more 100,000 mesh products in Australia. The lawsuit covers nine individual devices, five of which have since been taken off the market. Last year in the United States, the Food and Drug Administration reclassified every pelvic mesh implant as “high risk,” subjecting them to extra regulatory requirements.
Johnson & Johnson says that using mesh to treat pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence successfully aided a majority of the women that used it, equalling millions of women across the world. They also claim that they always comply with all regulations regarding ethics, research, development and more.
We want the company to be held accountable for the suffering that thousands of women have endured because of this operation. A Pennsylvania woman who suffered harmful effect from this product was recently awarded a record jury verdict of $57 million against Johnson & Johnson.
At The Law Offices of Vincent J. Ciecka, P.C, we are ready to tackle cases like these to win you the compensation you deserve. We also serve as workplace accident, auto accident, and workers compensation attorneys throughout NJ. To schedule a free consultation, please call 856-283-0589.
