Preview Newsletter
Ethicon Media Monitoring 9/4/2017
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Anal sex is not the only option for women suffering painful vaginal intercourse
Sep 4, 2017 | The Guardian
By Nina Booysen
Women around the world reacted with disgust to doctors who suggested women experiencing painful sex as a side-effect of vaginal mesh implants try anal intercourse instead. -
Suit: Women With Pelvic Mesh Pain Given 'Appalling' Sex Advice
Sep 4, 2017 | Newser
By Elizabeth Armstrong Moore
Disturbing details are emerging in a class-action lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson in Australia, where more than 700 women allege complications from transvaginal mesh implants so severe their lives have been ruined. -
One in three patients develop fibromyalgia after a surgical mesh implant, warns patient support group
Sep 3, 2017 | Wisbech Standard
By Kath Sansom
One in three people who have had a surgical mesh implant to treat incontinence, prolapse or hernia go on to develop fibromyalgia according to a patient survey. -
Vaginal mesh procedure is "Russian roulette" says Weymouth mum Janie Jarman, who was left suffering chronic pain
Sep 3, 2017 | Dorset Echo
By Katie Williams
A mother has described how getting a vaginal mesh implant left her in chronic pain as she urges other women not to play “Russian roulette” by undergoing the same surgery. -
Doctors Weigh in on TVT-SECUR during Ebaugh Pelvic Mesh Trial in Philadelphia
Sep 1, 2017 | Mesh Medical Device Newsdesk
The product liability trial of Ella Ebaugh – Case no 130700866 — is currently underway in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas before Judge Michael E. Erdos. -
September Brings Renewed Life in Mesh Litigation
Sep 1, 2017 | Mesh Medical Device Newsdesk
By Jane Akre
Mesh News Desk has been carefully watching the proceedings that are public, many of your settlements are not, and the sense is that we are nearing an end to unsustainable litigation.
Client Attorney Privileged/Attorney Work Product/At Request of Counsel
Online Sources
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Anal sex is not the only option for women suffering painful vaginal intercourse
Sep 4, 2017 | The Guardian
By Nina Booysen
Women around the world reacted with disgust to doctors who suggested women experiencing painful sex as a side-effect of vaginal mesh implants try anal intercourse instead. Sadly, this kind of dismissive attitude from the medical profession is not surprising. However, as a sexologist who mainly works with women who have trouble enjoying sexual intercourse, I can tell you there are other options.
Research shows that doctors respond differently to patients who complain of pain based on gender. Typically, people do not question the experience of pain of a cancer patient, or indeed a man. A woman tends to be met with scepticism, especially when it comes to her reproductive organs or nether regions. Often, woman will be met with: “I’m sure it’s not that bad” or “that really shouldn’t hurt” or even, “you’re being a little hysterical”.
It’s not just women suffering pain from vaginal mesh implants who are dismissed. It is also the reason conditions such as endometriosis, vulvodynia (unspecified pain or burning in vulva region) and vaginusmus (involuntary contraction of the pelvic floor muscles) have not been adequately researched and treated. Endometriosis typically goes undiagnosed for seven to 10 years. The statistics show one in 10 women of reproductive age suffer from endometriosis – that’s 176 million women worldwide. Yet, so many women suffer silently and are afraid to be a “nuisance”.
Painful sexual intercourse is a common side effect of all these conditions. When we are young and learning, if you put your hand on a hot stove, your brain screams at you to never, ever do that again! Well, painful sex can have the same effect. The difference being we don’t need to have our hands on hot stoves to lead fulfilling lives. We do however seek relationships, which survive because of intimacy, connection and sex. This is where the work of a relationship therapist or sex therapist can help. We essentially help woman reconnect with their bodies and rewire their brains to have a renewed relationship with themselves. It’s about finding what’s “good enough” and what works for each individual woman based on her history, medical diagnoses, sexual experiences and values.
Even when woman are managing their condition well, they may be left with psychological and emotional issues in relation to body image, intimacy and self-esteem. It is important to note that the onset of endometriosis occurs during the crucial years of sexual development. Women struggle between the often debilitating symptoms of endo, making sex difficult, and the pressure of knowing it is a social expectation, especially if you want to be in a relationship, not to mention if you want children. This inhibits the development of an identity as a sexual being. Sex is something you have to endure.
It is important for women experiencing any sexual dysfunction to grieve and surrender. Grieve the loss of what they feel being “normal” is, the loss of relationships, the loss of fertility, the loss of their own hopes for their sex lives. In doing so, women are able to surrender. We can then look at what parts of yourself you want to keep, what parts you want to give away and, in doing so, what you are making space for. What can be different? Because all we really want is quality of life.
Can we make space in our brains for the possibility that our bodies can bring us pleasure? Can we make space for the possibility that not all affectionate touch has to lead to sex and not all satisfying sex has to involve penetration? Do we understand what it feels like to be a sexual being, not a sexual object? Is it possible that the thought of a partner’s touch won’t trigger a fear response? I believe it is, and many women have benefitted from seeking assistance in these matters.
As a couples therapist and sexologist I know that any sexual issue is a couple’s issue and needs to be addressed as a couple, therefore making the experiences of partners quite valid. In understanding our partner’s experience, we can gain understanding, not just guilt. Suggestions made by the medical fraternity can be simplistic and insensitive. There seems to be a repeated narrow focus on what can make it work for the partner, not necessarily what can help the woman. Suggesting anal sex is extremely narrow-minded and offensive to some, even though it might be an option for others.
So what can we do? I would suggest to clients that they seek help where they can be given ownership of their disease or issue and empowered to manage it. I would encourage them to go back to basics in being self aware and understanding how they identify as sexual beings, not sexual objects. Experiment and think outside the box at the accessories and sexual aids available to help make sex more comfortable. Furniture wedges or fake vaginas have proven very successful for some couples.
These options allow the woman to be more comfortable and less tense. Partner penetration of a fake vagina, strategically placed, can also be stimulating for a woman at the same time. I emphasise the need for open communication and for the woman to reconnect with her body in a pleasurable way, not necessarily sexual in nature, but to reconnect in ways that are pleasant – such as the great taste of a square of chocolate.
At the same time, we must continue to talk about and study women’s experiences of endometriosis and other chronic diseases and conditions of the female reproductive system. As sufferers, we can grieve the life we thought we would have and surrender to the necessary steps for managing the disease. This doesn’t mean it owns us. We experiment psychologically and physically, challenging our pre-conceived ideas about sex, pleasure and intimacy.
We can continue to encourage women to “never give up”. We can ask them to push professionals to look for new options and be mindful of their approach. We can celebrate the ability to adapt. We can feel validated as human beings, women and lovers.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/sep/04/anal-sex-is-not-the-only-option-for-women-suffering-painful-vaginal-intercourse
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Suit: Women With Pelvic Mesh Pain Given 'Appalling' Sex Advice
Sep 4, 2017 | Newser
By Elizabeth Armstrong Moore
Huge medical scandal in Australia spurs class-action complaint
Disturbing details are emerging in a class-action lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson in Australia, where more than 700 women allege complications from transvaginal mesh implants so severe their lives have been ruined. From chronic pain and injured organs to painful intercourse and an inability to work, they're part of what one Australian politician is calling the country's "biggest medical scandal," reports news.com.au. Johnson & Johnson, the makers of the device surgically implanted to help treat problems common after childbirth, such as pelvic prolapse, maintains that these women represent only a "small minority" of patients, per the Evening Standard. However, published internal emails between doctors and J&J reveal the extent of the reported devastation on women's bodies, and doctors' attitudes toward them.
In one email posted by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, a French gynecologist wrote anal sex would be a "good alternative" for women in too much pain for intercourse. "I said to myself, there you go, for your next prolapse [patient], you talk to her about ... fellatio, sodomy, the clitoris with or without G-spot, etc.," one wrote. "I am sure of one thing: that I would very quickly be treated like some kind of sex maniac (which, perhaps, I am) or a pervert, or an unhealthily curious person." Women in the suit say they've heard similar lines from their doctors and call the advice "despicable" and "appalling," per the Guardian. One woman asks how a medical practitioner could "be so thoughtless and arrogant as to suggest that anal sex is an adequate solution to sexual dysfunction." Meanwhile, in the US, more than 120,000 suits are pending. (A court ruled sex is still important for women over 50.)
http://www.newser.com/story/247875/suit-women-with-pelvic-mesh-pain-given-appalling-sex-advice.html
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Sep 3, 2017 | Wisbech Standard
By Kath Sansom
One in three people who have had a surgical mesh implant to treat incontinence, prolapse or hernia go on to develop fibromyalgia according to a patient survey.
Sling The Mesh support group ran a poll which revealed that 54 out of 187 people developed diagnosed fibromyalgia following a polypropylene plastic implant - 29 per cent.
The number suffering fibromyalgia in the general population is 4.7 per cent according to a UK charity which this week runs an awareness campaign into the painful condition.
A study in the BMJ shows the number suffering in the general population is 5.4 per cent.
A Sling The Mesh spokesman said: “Our survey shows the incidence of fibromyalgia in mesh patients is around six times higher than what you would expect in the general population.
“In mesh support groups globally we see people talking of the debilitating effects of this auto immune condition which is why we decided to nail down some figures.
“In addition to those with a diagnosis a further 51 said they had many of the symptoms but had not yet received a formal diagnosis - 27.2 per cent.
“There were also 40 who have developed inflammatory arthritis, one in five people.”
The survey flies in the face of a report published earlier this year by an American surgeon who denied plastic implants can trigger auto immune diseases.
Under a transparency system in America, where medics have to declare conflicts of interest online, the New York surgeon who led the report received industry funding to the tune of $117,423.20 in research and $22,350.85 in general payments in the year leading up to the report being published.
Bilal Chughtai, lead author of the May 2017 study, said: “We found no relationship between exposures to vaginal mesh and subsequent development of Systemic Inflammatory and Autoimmune Diseases (SAID)
“Mesh has been placed under additional scrutiny with concerns on consumer world wide web sites about the association of mesh and the subsequent development of systemic autoimmune diseases.
“There is growing uncertainty among patients regarding the long-term safety of these procedures, which have been associated with high success rates.” he said.
Animal studies have shown mesh causes inflammation, foreign body reaction, and fibrosis, he said, and patient support groups are reporting autoimmune disorders such as lupus, fibromyalgia, and rheumatoid arthritis.
However, he denied a theory that chronic foreign body response leads to oxidisation which causes degradation of polypropylene as written about in a study of explanted mesh led by Professor Iakovlev.
“The process of mesh degradation has not been confirmed in human beings and remains controversial,” he said.“The occurrences of SAID may be events unrelated to the preceding mesh placement.
“Vaginal mesh has been used safely for decades, and synthetic slings for stress urinary incontinence are considered the gold standard.”
Journalist Ed Silverman wrote in the BMJ in 2013 that the open payment declaration system in America was: “Expected to usher in a new era of transparency regarding the financial relationships between doctors and the makers of drugs and devices.”
Payment could include consulting and speaking fees, meals, gifts, and research funding with concerns that such financial dealings could: “unduly influence medical practice and research,” he wrote.
“Even small financial ties have been shown in various studies to bias physicians,” he added.
• Silverman is founder and editor of the Pharmalot blog and has covered the pharmaceutical industry for more than 20 years.
• Fibromylagia Action UK said: “Gone are the days when GPs told us that there was no such thing as fibromyalgia and that it was all in our heads. The NHS now accepts fibromyalgia as a ‘real’ chronic illness.” Visit their website for information.
http://www.wisbechstandard.co.uk/news/one-in-three-patients-develop-fibromyalgia-after-a-surgical-mesh-implant-warns-patient-support-group-1-5179296
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Sep 3, 2017 | Dorset Echo
By Katie Williams
A mother has described how getting a vaginal mesh implant left her in chronic pain as she urges other women not to play “Russian roulette” by undergoing the same surgery.
Janie Jarman, 66, from Weymouth, had the mesh implant fitted in 2007 in a routine operation.
The Tension-free Vaginal Tape procedure (TVT) is often carried out to treat prolapse or incontinence after childbirth. The mesh is made of polypropylene, a type of plastic used in disposable drinks bottles and polymer bank notes.
Described as a simple operation which takes around 30 minutes, it is intended to provide support when repairing weakened or damaged tissue.
However, many women are now coming forward to explain how it has left them in agony. Some describe how it has eroded into the surrounding tissue, with others saying it cut them ‘like a cheese wire’.
Mrs Jarman, who is a mum of three, has spoken out about her own horrendous experience since receiving the implant ten years ago which she says has “severely impacted her life” and left her suffering constant pain.
She said: “Sometimes it’s intense, sometimes it’s a niggle, but it is all the time. It has affected my mobility and I’m not able to walk very far.
“My life is unreliable, I can’t always stick to arrangements because I might not be up to doing them. My lifestyle has completely changed, considering we used to go camping, now bending over is uncomfortable.
“As a result of not being able to stand for long periods or walk for long distances, I was issued with a blue disabled badge. The impact on my life has been extensive. Everyday tasks have become a struggle.”
Mrs Jarman said the operation, which some say is ‘the biggest scandal since thalidomide’, was heralded as the best and easiest solution to her problem. She added that since seeing others come forward with similar complaints, she feels misinformed.
Thousands of women who are suffering following the surgery have joined the Sling the Mesh campaign, calling for the operation to be suspended across the UK.
The campaign is headed by journalist Kath Sansom, who had the implant operation on the NHS in 2015 and consequently suffered immediate pain.
Data from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), obtained by the Press Association in April, showed more than 1,000 adverse incidents related to the mesh implants have been reported in the past five years. Many women are choosing to take legal action for claims of medical negligence.
Mrs Jarman said: “In 2010 I was told that I was the only woman they had experienced that had ever suffered complications following this procedure. I now know differently.
“Those of us who have been struggling on in silence are now realising that we are not alone.
“We are hoping to warn other women of the game of Russian roulette that they are playing by having this procedure. Don’t accept what you’re told, research what’s out there and if there’s alternatives, challenge it.”
http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/15510129.Vaginal_mesh_procedure_is__Russian_roulette__says_mum_who_was_left_suffering_chronic_pain/
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Doctors Weigh in on TVT-SECUR during Ebaugh Pelvic Mesh Trial in Philadelphia
Sep 1, 2017 | Mesh Medical Device Newsdesk
Mesh Medical Device News Desk, September 1, 2017 ~ The product liability trial of Ella Ebaugh – Case no 130700866 — is currently underway in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas before Judge Michael E. Erdos.
The following story reveals some of the insider information from the courtroom. This is the sixth trial in this venue putting Ethicon, a division of Johnson & Johnson on the hot seat.
Ella Ebaugh is 51 years old and a resident of Pennsylvania. She has had two Ethicon mesh implants – the TVT-Secur and the TVT (tension-free vaginal tape).
At age 39, Ms. Ebaugh had a TVT- Secur sling made by Ethicon (J&J) implanted on May 31, 2007 at Apple Hill Surgical Center in York,PA by Paul Douglass, MD. He reasoned since she was so young and had a very active lifestyle, the TVT-SECUR would allow her to get back to playing sports, particularly competitive softball, with her children.
Ms. Ebaugh had to have corrective surgery because of a mid-urethral sling erosion on July 12ththat same year. At that time, she was implanted with another mesh, a TVT.
On June 14, 2011, she had a corrective surgery, due to mesh complications, with Dr. Howard Mirsky at York Hospital in Pennsylvania. March 14, 2102, she had her fourth surgery, and third corrective procedure at the University of Maryland Medical Center with Surgeon Dr. Toby Chai.
Dr. Chai did an ultrascope and thought mesh was in her bladder now. He didn’t find any but removed a few strands of mesh from the urethra. Finally, in 2016, Dr. Wright did a surgery to remove more mesh because she was still having complications.
“It’s one erosion, not three separate erosions,” explained Mr. Webb, an attorney for Ethicon, downplaying her complications in addressing the 12-member jury, all African-American, half men, half women and all middle aged.
Ebaugh is represented by Kila Baldwin of Kline and Specter. Her trail began July 31 in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas where there have been four victories and one partial victory for mesh-injured women totaling $48 million.
The action alleges design defect and a failure to warn. J&J has never had to conduct any randomized controlled clinical testing. In mid-2012, the healthcare giant removed TVT-SECUR from the market along with three other problematic pelvic meshes including Prolift and Prolift +M and Prosima.
See MND story here.
It was a quiet, voluntary recall. The Food and Drug Administration, in a major concession to industry, then relieved the company of having to conduct post-approval monitoring studies.
Ebaugh Trial Doctors Testify About TVT-SECUR
The plaintiff’s first witness via videotape was Aran Maree, medical director of the Ethicon, Australia, Vice President of Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer starting in June 2006.
He was deposed July 22, 2013. Dr. Maree was interviewed by attorney Burn Snell representing Ethicon for the Engleman case. Portions of his deposition were played in the Ebaugh court.
Dr. Maree was responsible for a small clinical research team managing the quality assurance and quality systems teams. It was Dr. Maree who heard of the early failure reports of the TVT-SECUR. Anecdotal evidence indicates implanting the mesh required a specific technique for “potential optimal efficacy.”
There were three investigator-initiated randomized controlled trials, one in the Netherlands and two in the US in addition to the TVT World registry. There were more than 400 patients who had incontinence cured at 87% or higher with the TVT Secur.
At one point, Dr. Maree blocked the shipments of any TVT-SECUR pelvic meshes out of the Australian warehouse for use in Australia and New Zealand. The reason- the efficacy rate with TVT -SECUR was “unexpected” when compared to the efficacy rate of the TVT-O.
Dr. Maree asked for a quality block.
“Should we cease to market this product in Australia until we have objective evidence which gives us grounds for confidence that its use will ultimately see, be seen as having done the right thing for patients in Australia?”
Dr. Maree wrote, according to Ethicon documents, that Dr. Vincent Lucente had a 40% failure rate with the TVT-SECUR with his first 25 patients, and another had a 30% failure rate up to and including his first 77 patients.Doctors Weigh in on TVT-SECUR during Ebaugh Pelvic Mesh Trial in Philadelphia
Aran Maree, MD, Ethicon AU Medical Dir
Mesh Medical Device News Desk, September 1, 2017 ~ The product liability trial of Ella Ebaugh – Case no 130700866 — is currently underway in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas before Judge Michael E. Erdos.
The following story reveals some of the insider information from the courtroom. This is the sixth trial in this venue putting Ethicon, a division of Johnson & Johnson on the hot seat.
Ella Ebaugh is 51 years old and a resident of Pennsylvania. She has had two Ethicon mesh implants – the TVT-Secur and the TVT (tension-free vaginal tape).
At age 39, Ms. Ebaugh had a TVT- Secur sling made by Ethicon (J&J) implanted on May 31, 2007 at Apple Hill Surgical Center in York,PA by Paul Douglass, MD. He reasoned since she was so young and had a very active lifestyle, the TVT-SECUR would allow her to get back to playing sports, particularly competitive softball, with her children.
Ms. Ebaugh had to have corrective surgery because of a mid-urethral sling erosion on July 12ththat same year. At that time, she was implanted with another mesh, a TVT.
Ebaugh entered photo contest in York, PA
On June 14, 2011, she had a corrective surgery, due to mesh complications, with Dr. Howard Mirsky at York Hospital in Pennsylvania. March 14, 2102, she had her fourth surgery, and third corrective procedure at the University of Maryland Medical Center with Surgeon Dr. Toby Chai.
Dr. Chai did an ultrascope and thought mesh was in her bladder now. He didn’t find any but removed a few strands of mesh from the urethra. Finally, in 2016, Dr. Wright did a surgery to remove more mesh because she was still having complications.
“It’s one erosion, not three separate erosions,” explained Mr. Webb, an attorney for Ethicon, downplaying her complications in addressing the 12-member jury, all African-American, half men, half women and all middle aged.
Kila Baldwin, Kline Specter
Ebaugh is represented by Kila Baldwin of Kline and Specter. Her trail began July 31 in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas where there have been four victories and one partial victory for mesh-injured women totaling $48 million.
The action alleges design defect and a failure to warn. J&J has never had to conduct any randomized controlled clinical testing. In mid-2012, the healthcare giant removed TVT-SECUR from the market along with three other problematic pelvic meshes including Prolift and Prolift +M and Prosima.
See MND story here.
It was a quiet, voluntary recall. The Food and Drug Administration, in a major concession to industry, then relieved the company of having to conduct post-approval monitoring studies.
Ebaugh Trial Doctors Testify About TVT-SECUR
The plaintiff’s first witness via videotape was Aran Maree, medical director of the Ethicon, Australia, Vice President of Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer starting in June 2006.
He was deposed July 22, 2013. Dr. Maree was interviewed by attorney Burn Snell representing Ethicon for the Engleman case. Portions of his deposition were played in the Ebaugh court.
Dr. Maree was responsible for a small clinical research team managing the quality assurance and quality systems teams. It was Dr. Maree who heard of the early failure reports of the TVT-SECUR. Anecdotal evidence indicates implanting the mesh required a specific technique for “potential optimal efficacy.”
There were three investigator-initiated randomized controlled trials, one in the Netherlands and two in the US in addition to the TVT World registry. There were more than 400 patients who had incontinence cured at 87% or higher with the TVT Secur.
TVT Secur, Megamed Services
At one point, Dr. Maree blocked the shipments of any TVT-SECUR pelvic meshes out of the Australian warehouse for use in Australia and New Zealand. The reason- the efficacy rate with TVT -SECUR was “unexpected” when compared to the efficacy rate of the TVT-O.
Dr. Maree asked for a quality block.
“Should we cease to market this product in Australia until we have objective evidence which gives us grounds for confidence that its use will ultimately see, be seen as having done the right thing for patients in Australia?”
Dr. Maree wrote, according to Ethicon documents, that Dr. Vincent Lucente had a 40% failure rate with the TVT-SECUR with his first 25 patients, and another had a 30% failure rate up to and including his first 77 patients.
Dr. Lucente is a name that has surfaced regularly in these pelvic mesh product liability trials. Paid About $2 million by the company, he was the company preceptor or trainer of a number of physicians training them on how to use Ethicon pelvic meshes.
See Lucente mentioned in the Budke trial here and in the Gross trial here.
Ethicon documents say, “In this light, and given that he was involved in training Dr. (blank) in Australia, it is not at all surprising that we may have similar, or higher, failure rates here.”
“I did find it noteworthy that Dr. Lucente appears to still be learning.”
One doctor reported he had “taken on board Dr. Lucente’s ‘modified technique’ but has not experienced a substantial improvement in success rates.” The concern was the original (and current) training program “may not result in competency in device insertion or result in clinical efficacy. There appear to be ‘tricks’ to insertion of the product and removal of the inserters which prevent dislodging the device in the process.”
TVT-SECUR was a sling unto itself and required a specific technique to implant. Some of the bad outcome might be operator error.
Three Australian surgeons reported failures with TVT-SECUR to Dr. Maree. Dr. Maree reported his concerns about “high failure rates” across multiple centers to Ethicon when the TVT-SECUR was compared to the TVT-O.
What resulted was a “tips and tricks” documents to be delivered to surgeons to revise technical points and fine tune the technique for implanting TVT-S. The Australian experience was not similar to the US.
Ultimately, Dr Maree sent a letter to surgeons in Australia warning of the unsuccessful procedures resulting for some doctors, sort of a safety alert, but not an official one.
Ms. Ebaugh suffers from pain, financial and economic loss, and permanent injury. She has accrued debt for medical services and expenses. She suffers recurrent UTI’s, pain with sex, pelvic abdominal and flank pain, bleeding, SUI urgency, anxiety and depression.
To deflect blame on Ethicon pelvic meshes, defense has said during this trial that she had these things before her implant and that Ms. Ebaugh said that a hip prosthesis she underwent in three months after her TVT-SECUR implant in 2007, “ruined her life.”
According to defense attorney W. Curtis Webb, during 2007 to 2011, “She’s not complaining about our product at all or that it was not working at all.”
Ebaugh v. Ethicon is set to conclude after the court resumes on Tuesday, September 5. ##
https://www.meshmedicaldevicenewsdesk.com/doctors-weigh-tvt-secur-ebaugh-pelvic-mesh-trial-philadelphia/
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September Brings Renewed Life in Mesh Litigation
Sep 1, 2017 | Mesh Medical Device Newsdesk
By Jane Akre
Welcome September from Mesh Medical Device News Desk~ Mesh News Desk has been carefully watching the proceedings that are public, many of your settlements are not, and the sense is that we are nearing an end to unsustainable litigation.
Just two weeks ago, mesh manufacture, Johnson & Johnson was hit with a $417 million loss in its talcum powder litigation, which is another product liability front for this healthcare giant with hundreds more cases waiting in the wings.
So far J&J has lost $48 million in pelvic mesh litigation in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas alone. That does not include the multidistrict litigation gathered in Charleston, WV or individual state trials.
Since the company says “sustainability” and “putting people first” is its motto, it’s tough to understand how hundreds of millions of dollars in losses before juries can be defined as “sustainable.”
Maybe they could follow the advice of one shareholder at the April’s gathering in New Brunswick, New Jersey and just “get meaner lawyers.”
No doubt J&J has the best lawyers money can buy, mean or not.
J&J is the focus this month because the company is the last large mesh manufacturer to offer mass settlements. J&J also has more mesh product liability cases, 55,000, according to its latest SEC federal government filing. Polypropylene mesh has been used for about twenty years to make pelvic mesh implants which are permanent. The mesh was not tested and for many, doesn’t only fail to work but causes life-altering complications.
Mesh News Desk (MND or MMDND) has been covering the issues surrounding pelvic and hernia mesh for five years now. Please enter your search terms in the Search Bar to do research and if you click on the headers such as “Legal” “News” “Medical” you will see stories filed under that topic.
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&J and Boston Scientific are also facing a host of new trials set for the end of this year and 2018. Stay tuned.
Congratulations for all of the media coverage gathering overseas. Still not so in the US.
Many of you call asking questions of MND. While I’m happy to help and often do, looking up your case, answering questions, even though I’m not an attorney or doctor, I cannot possibly get back to all of you. I apologize, Call again if you need to talk.
So many hernia-injured folks contact me as well. I ask them to contact Bruce Rosenberg, hernia mesh injured patient advocate. Best to text him at 954-701-5094. He may be able to direct you medically.
Please learn what kind of mesh you have, the type and manufacturer. Please stay actively involved in your case. In some cases, plaintiffs have been dropped because they moved and their law firm could no longer find them, at least not easily.
Please be kind to each other….thank you.
https://www.meshmedicaldevicenewsdesk.com/september-brings-renewed-life-mesh-litigation/
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