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Ethicon 11/23
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C.R. Bard forks over $3.6M in first case to go to trial over vaginal mesh implant
Nov 20, 2015 | Fierce Medical Device
By Emily Wasserman
The news comes a few months after Bard said it would fork over more than $200 million to settle 3,000 cases by women who were injured from its vaginal mesh products. The settlement takes care of about one-fifth of outstanding lawsuits over the devices. But Bard still faces more than 21,000 product liability suits for the devices, including more than 12,000 cases consolidated before a judge in a Charleston, WV, federal court. -
When Your Normal Isn’t Normal
Nov 20, 2015 | Long Beach Post
By Jocelyn Craig, M.D.
Women of all ages can suffer from pelvic floor conditions that affect bowel and bladder function, female reproductive organs and the muscles of the pelvic floor.
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C.R. Bard forks over $3.6M in first case to go to trial over vaginal mesh implant
Nov 20, 2015 | Fierce Medical Device
By Emily Wasserman
C.R. Bard ($BCR) is shelling out $3.6 million in damages in the first case that went to trial over one of its transvaginal mesh implants, a few months after the company agreed to settle thousands of suits from women who claimed injury from related products.
A jury originally ordered Bard to pay $5.5 million to the plaintiff, but the court reduced that amount to $3.6 million after finding that the doctor who implanted the company's Avaulta mesh device was at fault. Bard appealed that decision but lost its appeal earlier this year, according to Lawsuit Settlement News, prompting it to pay the damages.
The news comes a few months after Bard said it would fork over more than $200 million to settle 3,000 cases by women who were injured from its vaginal mesh products. The settlement takes care of about one-fifth of outstanding lawsuits over the devices. But Bard still faces more than 21,000 product liability suits for the devices, including more than 12,000 cases consolidated before a judge in a Charleston, WV, federal court.
Meanwhile, Judge Joseph Goodwin of the U.S. District Court for Southern West Virginia is urging the Murray Hill, NJ-based company to settle cases rather than battle it out with plaintiffs. Last year, the judge said that he could not "imagine a corporation facing potentially billions of dollars in verdicts wouldn't find it advisable to try to achieve a settlement for a much lesser sum," Goodwin said at the time. In October 2014, Bard agreed to pay $21 million to settle 500 suits over related products.
But the company has also tried to escape legal fallout, albeit to little success. In December, the company attempted to resist a bid from plaintiffs to consolidate 185 suits related to pelvic mesh implants. In January 2015, the company lost a bid to push back a product liability trial over its device after Goodwin rejected Bard's accusation that the judge's earlier comments regarding a potential settlement may have prejudiced the jury.
Bard is far from the only devicemaker facing legal pushback over vaginal mesh products. Johnson & Johnson ($JNJ) and Boston Scientific ($BSX) are wading through their own mesh-related claims, settling suits or paying out damages to plaintiffs.
Other companies are taking a different route and opting for global settlements. In March 2014, Danish devicemaker Coloplast shelled out $16 million to resolve lawsuits claiming that its faulty vaginal-mesh implants injured women. In October 2014, Endo added $400 million to its $1.2 billion liability reserve to resolve "substantially all" suits related to vaginal mesh implants sold by its American Medical Systems (AMS) business. The company will fund payments through 2017, settling more than 10,000 suits for an average of $48,000 apiece.
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Nov 20, 2015 | Long Beach Post
By Jocelyn Craig, M.D.
Women of all ages can suffer from pelvic floor conditions that affect bowel and bladder function, female reproductive organs and the muscles of the pelvic floor. The pelvic floor can be weakened by a combination of factors, such as childbirth, heavy lifting, the effects of menopause and aging, and other chronic medical and neurologic conditions. For some women, a family history of pelvic floor issues increases the risk of developing a future pelvic floor condition.
Pelvic floor disorders significantly compromise the quality of women’s lives, which may result in depression, social isolation and avoidance of physical and sexual activity due to discomfort and embarrassment. Women often suffer in silence because they are unaware that many of these conditions can be treated.
Overactive Bladder
Overactive bladder is the frequent need to urinate along with a feeling that the urge to urinate cannot be delayed. Women with overactive bladder may wake up at night multiple times to urinate. Overactive bladder can lead to urinary incontinence.
Even though overactive bladder is common in older adults, it is not part of the aging process. If your symptoms put a strain on your everyday life, reach out to your doctor to see what treatment options are available.
Urinary Incontinence
Urinary incontinence is the loss of bladder control. Common symptoms include a leakage of urine while coughing, sneezing, laughing or with physical activity. Women also may experience leakage with a strong urge to urinate while trying to reach the restroom. Some women experience occasional leakage while others wet their clothing on a daily basis. If bladder control affects your daily life, call your doctor to see how you can re-gain control.
Pelvic Organ Prolapse
Pelvic organ prolapse is when the connective tissue supporting the walls of the vagina and the pelvic organs weakens. This weakening can cause the pelvic organs to “drop” out of place.
Common symptoms include a feeling of pressure in the vaginal opening as if something is “falling out” of your vagina.
Some women may not feel any symptoms. Other women feel a lot of discomfort and need to seek medical attention.
Fecal Incontinence
Fecal incontinence is losing control of bowel movements. The severity can range from leakage when passing gas or complete loss of control.
Some adults can experience this occasionally, but others experience it daily. If you can’t control bowel movements or cannot make it to the restroom in time, it is important to share this information with your doctor help determine a treatment plan.
Pelvic Health Conditions are Treatable
Any woman challenged with a pelvic health condition knows that these issues can easily affect quality of life. What many women may not know is that these issues are treatable. New therapies, medications and minimally invasive procedures offer hope to women currently coping with their pelvic health issues alone.
The Center for Women’s Pelvic Health at Long Beach Memorial offers patients a comprehensive blend of community and hospital-based programs to bring relief for the these conditions.
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