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Ethicon Feb 13

Client Attorney Privileged/Attorney Work Product/At Request of Counsel

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Pharmalot, Pharmalittle: We’re Reading About Johnson & Johnson, Alcoholism & Lots More!!
Feb 12, 2015 | The Wall STreet Journal - Pharmalot
By Ed Silverman

...Johnson & Johnson JNJ -1.93% has dropped its request to investigate the source of what it said were illegal phone calls that may have resulted in baseless lawsuits over transvaginal mesh devices against its Ethicon subsidiary, Reuters reports...
J&J Blinks in Vaginal Mesh Cases, Drops Complaint Over Patient Solicitation
Feb 12, 2015 | Fierce Medical Devices
By Stacy Lawrence

Johnson & Johnson ($JNJ) has already dropped a legal tactic it adopted just a month ago in its defense against lawsuits over the transvaginal mesh devices from its Ethicon subsidiary.
Attorneys Want to Withdraw Ethicon Motion
Feb 12, 2015 | The West Virgina Record
By Kyla Asbury

Less than one month after filing a motion to revise case management procedures and for discovery related to plaintiff solicitation, Johnson & Johnson and Ethicon have filed a new motion to withdraw the previous one.
*New* Perry Hammered About Her Medical Past in Transvaginal Mesh Trial
Feb 12, 2015 | Mesh Medical Device News Desk
By Jane Akre

Thanks to Courtroom View Network for access to live streaming video of the Perry v. Ethicon trial. Mesh News Desk is prevented from showing any plaintiffs or evidence or from quoting directly from the case.
Florida Woman Files RICO Action Against Ethicon, Says it Conspired With FDA to Hide TVM Risks
Feb 13, 2015 | Harris Martin Publishing

A Florida woman has accused Ethicon Inc., Johnson & Johnson and the Food and Drug Administration of violating the Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations Act by conspiring to influence doctors to use defective transvaginal mesh products in the treatment of incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse.
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Gains 0.03% on News That Johnson & Johnson Has Dropped Its Request to Investigate the Source
Feb 12, 2015 | WallStreet Scope
By Shannon Abramsen

Johnson & Johnson has dropped its request to investigate the source of what it said were illegal phone calls that may have resulted in baseless lawsuits over transvaginal mesh devices against its Ethicon Inc subsidiary.
Slater Addresses Scottish Parliament Committee
Feb 12, 2015 | Mesh Medical Device News Desk
By Jane Akre

The Scottish Parliament’s Public petitions Committee have confirmed that our long awaited meeting with US Solicitor Adam Slater presenting his video-link evidence against transvaginal mesh devices and the manufacturers will be on Tuesday, February 24, 2015 at 10:00 am in Edinburgh.
Stay on: Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), General Motors Company (NYSE:GM), Emerge Energy Services LP (NYSE:EMES), Sophiris Bio (NASDAQ:SPHS), Park-Ohio Holdings (NASDAQ:PKOH)
Feb 12, 2015 | Property Mentor Group
By Jason Burroughs

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) has dropped its request to investigate the source of what it said were illegal phone calls that may have resulted in baseless lawsuits over transvaginal mesh devices against its Ethicon Inc subsidiary.
Pelvic mesh Lawsuits: Boston Scientific Wants 700 Philly Cases Sent to Federal Court
Feb 12, 2015 | Mesh Medical Device News Desk
By Brad Perriello

...Companies including Boston Scientific, C.R. Bard (NYSE:BCR) and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) subsidiary Ethicon are facing thousands of product liability and personal injury lawsuits over their respective pelvic mesh devices...
Morning Break: Testosterone Adds Spice to Life; Hospital Dress Codes
Feb 12, 2015 | Med Page Today

...J&J, embroiled in litigation over its vaginal mesh implant products, has dropped its bid for an investigation into solicitation of patients to join the suits. The presiding judge had subtly suggested the demand was obstructing settlement talks and plaintiffs' lawyers promised to avoid "wrongful solicitations of clients."

Client Attorney Privileged/Attorney Work Product/At Request of Counsel

Full Text of Stories Below

Online Sources

Pharmalot, Pharmalittle: We’re Reading About Johnson & Johnson, Alcoholism & Lots More!!

Feb 12, 2015 | The Wall STreet Journal - Pharmalot

By Ed Silverman

Hello, everyone, and how are you today? Gray skies are hovering over the wintry Pharmalot campus this morning, but our spirits remain sunny. And why not? Once again, we are reminded of a favorite bit of wisdom from the Morning Mayor: ‘Every brand new day should be unwrapped like a precious gift.’ So go ahead – tug on the ribbon, and join us for a delicious cup of stimulation. Meanwhile, here are some items of interest to get you going. Hope you have a smashing day and do stay in touch…
Over the last two years, states nationwide have moved to crack down on so-called physician dispensing of prescription drugs, a practice largely limited to doctors who treat injured workers. But doctors and companies have responded by exploiting loopholes in those rules and adopting new strategies to stay one step ahead, according to The New York Times. One tactic has been to create novel dosages of old drugs to get around cost controls on traditional ones.
Johnson & Johnson JNJ -1.93% has dropped its request to investigate the source of what it said were illegal phone calls that may have resulted in baseless lawsuits over transvaginal mesh devices against its Ethicon subsidiary, Reuters reports. The health care giant suggested the calls and other dodgy solicitation tactics could be a significant factor in the flood of lawsuits it has faced over the devices, which it said was considered the “gold standard” for treating stress urinary incontinence. More than 35,000 claims have been filed in state and federal court over Ethicon mesh.
Drugmakers aiming to tackle alcoholism, a condition that affects 17 million Americans, may have a smoother path to market under an FDA proposal to guide development of treatments, Bloomberg News writes. Drugs to treat alcoholism may now gain approval by proving patients using them no longer drink heavily, according to clarified draft guidelines from the FDA. For drug makers that want to develop alcoholism treatments, this means that sobriety does not have to be the main goal.
Actavis plans to cut another 40 jobs in April, after eliminating 200 positions last month and another 48 in October, according to The Orange County Business Journal.
Hospira ceo Michael Ball may walk away with more than $80 million after Pfizer buys the company, based on a review of his ownership of company stock, stock options, restricted shares and severance compensation, Crain’s Chicago Business writes.
Eisai expects its new drug for thyroid and other cancers, called lenvatinib, to bring in more than $1 billion a year by 2020 and believes that FDA approval for thyroid cancer is imminent, The Wall Street Journal informs us.
Sanofi has agreed to pay as much as $845 million to work with Voyager Therapeutics on gene-altering treatments for disorders including Parkinson’s disease, The Boston Globe reports.
AbbVie has submitted a New Drug Application in Japan seeking approval to market its investigational, oral treatment for patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C, Pharma Times tells us.
An industry trade group in India is urging the Department of Pharmaceuticals not to require smaller drug makers to adhere to a code for marketing practices over concerns they would perish, according to PharmaBiz.
GlaxoSmithKline has launched an over-the-counter version of its Flonase allergy medication along with a Tumblr that gives a behind-the-scenes look at the manufacturing floor and creating a label, Medical Marketing & Media says.
Supplies of the Tamiflu treatment are running low in Hong Kong and India amid new flu outbreaks, according to AsiaOne and PharmaBiz.
The Suboxone opioid addiction drug, which is sold by Indivior, a former Reckitt Benckiser unit, lost market share last year, due to increased competition that forced prices to be slashed, InPharma Technologist writes.
BLOG WATCH: HealthNewsReview points out that Vox skewered The Toronto Star for writing a piece about HPV vaccines that was nothing more than a “collection of unproven anecdotes” and was “everything wrong with vaccine reporting;” Drug Channels estimates that retail, mail, and specialty pharmacies dispensed about $78 billion in specialty pharmaceuticals, and the shift from traditional brand-name drugs to specialty drugs will undoubtedly continue; and Forbes writes about a “coming boom in brain medicines,” noting that investors poured $3.3 billion into firms that are developing drugs for brain-destroying or psychiatric illnesses, more than in any of the last 10 years.

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J&J Blinks in Vaginal Mesh Cases, Drops Complaint Over Patient Solicitation

Feb 12, 2015 | Fierce Medical Devices

By Stacy Lawrence

Johnson & Johnson ($JNJ) has already dropped a legal tactic it adopted just a month ago in its defense against lawsuits over the transvaginal mesh devices from its Ethicon subsidiary. In mid-January, J&J asked the district judge overseeing the federal lawsuit to investigate phone calls urging women with the implant to file suit against the company.
But now it's dropped that strategy, requesting to withdraw that motion to U.S. District Judge Joseph Goodwin in the Southern District of West Virginia, according to a report by Reuters.
Late last week, Goodwin told lawyers that they were not being helpful given some recent motions. The judge encouraged a comprehensive settlement between 7 devicemakers and the plaintiffs in the 70,000 lawsuits they face over potentially dangerous transvaginal mesh. They are alleged to lead to painful problems including bleeding, infection and nerve damage.
The lead plaintiff's lawyer, Bryan Aylstock, told Reuters he is pleased with Ethicon's decision and that both sides have "pledged to work together to attempt to put an end to any wrongful solicitations of clients."
A number of devicemakers have made settlements. In fact, Goodwin said during a hearing 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" and pointed to other "rather large" verdicts from similar cases. These include awards to two sets of four women worth $18.5 million and $26.7 million for suits filed against Boston Scientific ($BSX) for its vaginal mesh product.
Also, J&J has agreed to settle more than 100 product liability lawsuits regarding pelvic mesh products sold by its Mentor subsidiary.
Two manufacturers have already heeded the judge's advice and arrived at a comprehensive settlement. Endo ($ENDP) agreed in October of last year to pay an additional $400 million to settle "substantially all" of the remaining claims related to its vaginal mesh implants. And Danish devicemaker Coloplast paid $16 million to settle lawsuits claiming it injured women with vaginal mesh inserts in March 2014.
The FDA issued a warning against vaginal mesh implants as early as 2008. It stated: "The most frequent complications included erosion through vaginal epithelium, infection, pain, urinary problems, and recurrence of prolapse and/or incontinence. There were also reports of bowel, bladder and blood vessel perforation during insertion. In some cases, vaginal scarring and mesh erosion led to a significant decrease in patient quality of life due to discomfort and pain, including dyspareunia."

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Attorneys Want to Withdraw Ethicon Motion

Feb 12, 2015 | The West Virgina Record

By Kyla Asbury

Less than one month after filing a motion to revise case management procedures and for discovery related to plaintiff solicitation, Johnson & Johnson and Ethicon have filed a new motion to withdraw the previous one.
“Johnson & Johnson and Ethicon move to withdraw their motion to revise case management procedures and for discovery related to plaintiff solicitation …” the Feb. 10 motion states.
Harry F. Bell Jr. of The Bell Law Firm in Charleston said the withdrawal of the motion speaks volumes.
“This speaks volumes in itself,” Bell said. “It’s not nice to make accusations.”
Bell said people really need to look at the true story and not what is being spun.
“This was a generic filing and never accused any specific person of anything,” Bell said.
The motion to revise case management procedures was filed Jan. 14 and accused plaintiffs’ attorneys of being fraudulent in their aggressive recruitment of clients for pelvic mesh litigation.
It alleged that women who had not even had mesh surgery were encouraged to lie in order to receive compensation.
On Monday, West Virginia Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse issued a press release regarding the alleged recruiting, calling it another example of how “millionaire personal injury lawyers take advantage of our legal system for person benefit and why West Virginia needs to reform its lawsuit system.”
WV CALA declined further comment Wednesday regarding the withdrawal of the motion.
Johnson & Johnson and Ethicon are being represented by Christy D. Jones of Butler Snow LLP; and David B. Thomas of Thomas Combs & Spann PLLC.
The MDL is assigned to District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia case number: 2:12-md-02327

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*New* Perry Hammered About Her Medical Past in Transvaginal Mesh Trial

Feb 12, 2015 | Mesh Medical Device News Desk

By Jane Akre

Thanks to Courtroom View Network for access to live streaming video of the Perry v. Ethicon trial. Mesh News Desk is prevented from showing any plaintiffs or evidence or from quoting directly from the case.
On Monday, February 9, the plaintiff in Perry v. Ethicon, (Case 1:13-cv-00729-AWI-JLT), took the stand again after a long weekend break. Ms. Coleen Perry, 50 wore a red sweater and neat red blouse with a wrap at the neck. Her blonde hair is neatly styled and she is calm and polite.
This is the third week of her defective product trial against Ethicon, being conducted in state court in Bakersfield, California.
The attorney for Ethicon, Kim Schmidt questioned her about her health, presenting a series of documents, questionnaires Ms. Perry filled out before going to an alternative/ complimentary medical doctor in Los Angeles, as well as other doctors. The questions were personal, private and for the most part, occurred before her pelvic mesh implant, an Abbrevo, in March 2011 to treat incontinence.
Schmid attempted to lay a foundation of doubt about the pre-mesh health condition of Ms. Perry.
Testifying on the stand, Ms. Perry said she had gone to various doctors complaining of insomnia, shortness of breath, asthma, anxiety, depression, heavy periods, dizziness sand fainting. In her 20’s she had a series of urinary tract infections and suffered PMS or premenstrual syndrome. She was overweight and wanted help.
She and her husband suffered medical problems after a motor vehicle accident in Las Vegas. She has hired attorneys to deal with that car accident, established Schmid. The auto accident caused pain in her neck and she received a prescription for Vicodin and began seeing an orthopedic doctor for her spine issues. She also went to a physical therapist and stopped all physical activities after June 2013.
Ms. Perry politely answered the personal questions. When she wanted to elaborate, she was cut off.
Her incontinence became worse in 2009 and up until that time it was moderate. Her doctor, Dr. Luu, a pelvic floor surgeon, described the sling implant and how it could correct the condition of incontinence. The leaking of urine was disruptive to Ms. Perry’s lifestyle, which was an active one involving time with her husband. During her consult about the mesh implant, Ms. Perry says she did not ask for any patient brochures. She did sign an informed consent that she understood the risks of mesh placement. She agreed all of her questions had been answered about the four surgeries she would undergo.
After the mesh implant, Ms. Perry said the incontinence had resolved. She attended seven follow-up medical appointments and went to a HGC diet to lose weight.
Schmidt did not hesitate to outline the number of doctors Ms. Perry had seen and the procedures she was receiving which included physical therapy, vitamin c infusions, an alternative/complimentary medical doctor. These were physicians attending to conditions outside of her pelvic issues, which Ms. Perry tried to emphasize when she was asked why she didn’t complain to them about the ongoing pelvic pain and dyspareunia. To address her pelvic mesh, which had now eroded, Ms. Perry saw another doctor to conduct an excision.
Many women have no idea mesh may be related to their pelvic pain until they see television commercials about mesh injuries. Ms. Schmidt asked Ms. Perry if she had seen transvaginal mesh commercials before she decided to hire an attorney. Yes she had. Before she hired them, did she think there was anything wrong with the TVT Abbrevo? Prior to seeing the commercial, the surgeries and erosion led her to believe something was wrong with the mesh, Ms. Perry corrected the attorney.
While the Abbrevo corrected her incontinence, pelvic pain never went away. Then the mesh eroded into her vagina. She had an excision and colporrhaphy scheduled. Six months after that surgery, she and her newly retired husband went on a three week trip to Hawaii.The defense showed her pictures posted on her Facebook of zip lining and playing golf.
Life After Mesh- Everything Resolved?
Sometime after her mesh surgeries and explant, Ms. Perry wanted to get healthier without prescription medications. She underwent an IV vitamin C drip as well as blood irradiation prescribed by Dr. Mather, her alternative/complimentary medical doctor. The doctor also recommended bioidentical hormones, supplements and vitamins every day.
The couple purchased an RV to take a trip to Arizona, and the California coast.
In an exhibit, defense showed a letter Ms. Perry wrote in February 2014 to Dr. Mather. She was walking up to 5 miles a day, about 25 miles a week, calculated Schmidt. Ms. Perry wrote she felt great, was sleeping through the night and that life was good!! She did not mention her pelvic pain to Dr. Mather who was addressing overall health, not her pelvic injuries.
Re-Direct
On re-direct, an attorney for Ms. Perry established she had no health problems related to mesh, before the mesh implant. Any complications, Dr. Luu had indicated could be dealt with, fixed or repaired, perhaps explaining why she did not ask further.
Did she experience mesh erosion prior to a mesh implant? No. Was erosion associated with allergies? No, she said. He established there were no injuries to her pelvic region during the car accident in Las Vegas.
Patrick Perry
Bringing some context to the story was Patrick Perry, called to the stand Monday afternoon. The California native worked as a firefighter in Los Angeles until 2012. He spent time in the Marines. He and his wife loved outdoor life – golf, fishing, four-wheeling.
Mr. Perry said his training as a firefighter sharpened his skills as an observer, someone who sizes things up in advance of acting. How is his wife today? She is deteriorating, he said. Definitely not a complainer, he has to pry to find out what is wrong. From the mesh until now, especially since his retirement, he said he’s watched her go through decline because of pain. When she cries, it gets him worked up he said. Sometimes it become overwhelming for her.
Referring to herself as damaged goods, Mr. Perry told the jury she believes this is her fault. If she hadn’t gotten this procedure, they’d be okay during this, the retirement years they had planned for. She refers to it as the death of their sex life, he said. It’s horrible to watch her go through the pain and it kills me and Mr. Perry said he doesn’t know what to do for her. Calling them a great couple, he said we are traumatized, not just her, but both of us.
The defense had no questions. #

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Florida Woman Files RICO Action Against Ethicon, Says it Conspired With FDA to Hide TVM Risks

Feb 13, 2015 | Harris Martin Publishing

A Florida woman has accused Ethicon Inc., Johnson & Johnson and the Food and Drug Administration of violating the Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations Act by conspiring to influence doctors to use defective transvaginal mesh products in the treatment of incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse.
The Feb. 4 lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida says the defendants engaged in a massive cover up to hide the real risks vs. benefits of Ethicon’s Gynecare TVT System and Prolift mesh kit.
The complaint also names certain JNJ/Ethicon defense counsel and various JNJ and Ethicon ...
Subscription needed for full story:
http://harrismartin.com/article/19091/florida-woman-files-rico-action-against-ethicon-says-it-conspired-with-fda-to-hide-tvm-risks/

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Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Gains 0.03% on News That Johnson & Johnson Has Dropped Its Request to Investigate the Source

Feb 12, 2015 | WallStreet Scope

By Shannon Abramsen

Johnson & Johnson has dropped its request to investigate the source of what it said were illegal phone calls that may have resulted in baseless lawsuits over transvaginal mesh devices against its Ethicon Inc subsidiary. In a court filing late Tuesday, Johnson & Johnson’s lawyers moved to withdraw a Jan. 14 motion that had asked U.S. District Judge Joseph Goodwin in the Southern District of West Virginia – who oversees federal mesh litigation – to allow for an investigation into the calls, as well as an inquiry into whether plaintiffs’ lawyers had knowledge of the source of the calls. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) closed Wednesday at $100.38, a gain of 0.03% after trading at a volume of 8,174,013 shares. UPDATED: Today's Top 50 Trending Stocks

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) is performing below average with a weekly performance of -2.06% and a quarterly performance of -6.65% and off their 52 week low by 13.43% with a dividend yield of 2.79%with a total debt to equity ratio of 0.2. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)’s monthly performance is -4.37%, a profit margin of 28.30%, insider transactions of -11.10% and Johnson & Johnson has 2799.11million shares outstanding.
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) is a buyer for Thursday in the Drug Manufacturers – Major industry with analyst rating of 2.5 and earnings date of 1/20/15 8:30

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Slater Addresses Scottish Parliament Committee

Feb 12, 2015 | Mesh Medical Device News Desk

By Jane Akre

The Scottish Parliament’s Public petitions Committee have confirmed that our long awaited meeting with US Solicitor Adam Slater presenting his video-link evidence against transvaginal mesh devices and the manufacturers will be on Tuesday, February 24, 2015 at 10:00 am in Edinburgh.
The MHRA and European Commission have also been invited to participate. It has been decided by the Committee that only one petition will be considered on the day. Here is the petition:
Lase June, women injured by pelvic mesh petitioned the Scottish government to have polypropylene pelvic mesh procedures suspended until that country could determine how many women are being injured by the mesh and the procedure. Health Secretary Alex Neil said he did not want to risk any more injuries. Since then, government officials have back tracked and indicated they may not enforce a ban. See the story here.
Citizens of Scotland have a way to directly petition the government and call for an inquiry. Additionally, the media, led by reporter Marion Scott, have been much more responsive to this story carrying banner headlines in the country. Scotland became the first country to suspend sales of transvaginal mesh.

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Stay on: Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), General Motors Company (NYSE:GM), Emerge Energy Services LP (NYSE:EMES), Sophiris Bio (NASDAQ:SPHS), Park-Ohio Holdings (NASDAQ:PKOH)

Feb 12, 2015 | Property Mentor Group

By Jason Burroughs

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) has dropped its request to investigate the source of what it said were illegal phone calls that may have resulted in baseless lawsuits over transvaginal mesh devices against its Ethicon Inc subsidiary. On Wednesday shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) closed at $100.38. Company’s sales growth for last 5 years was 3.70% and EPS growth for next 5 years is recorded as 5.82%.
General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) is actively considering share buybacks or a dividend boost to return part of its $25 billion in cash to investors, a person familiar with the matter said. General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) in last trading activity increased 0.40% to close at $37.67. Company weekly performance is 5.14% while its quarterly performance stands at 22.15%. General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) is 0.32% away from its 52 week high.
Emerge Energy Services LP (NYSE:EMES) announced that the board of directors of its general partner has declared a cash distribution of $1.41 for the fourth quarter of 2014. The distribution will be paid on February 13, 2015 to all unitholders of record as of February 5, 2015. On last trading day Emerge Energy Services LP (NYSE:EMES) moved down -2.42% to close at $52.78. Its volatility for the week is 5.18% while volatility for the month is 7.06%. Emerge Energy Services LP (NYSE:EMES) monthly performance is -0.26%.
Sophiris Bio, Inc. (NASDAQ:SPHS) has 0.10% insider ownership while its institutional ownership stands at 50.70%. In last trading activity company’s stock closed at $0.46.
The Board of Directors of Park-Ohio Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ:PKOH) has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.125 per share on the common stock outstanding, to be paid on March 6, 2015, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on February 23, 2015. On last trading day Park-Ohio Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ:PKOH) increased 0.70% to close at $54.68. Its volatility for the week is 4.50% while volatility for the month is 4.56%. PKOH’s sales growth for past 5 years was 2.40% and its EPS growth for past 5 years was 18.20%. Park-Ohio Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ:PKOH) monthly performance is -5.20%.

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Pelvic mesh Lawsuits: Boston Scientific Wants 700 Philly Cases Sent to Federal Court

Feb 12, 2015 | Mesh Medical Device News Desk

By Brad Perriello

Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) wants some 700 product liability lawsuits filed over its pelvic mesh products removed from a Philadelphia court to the federal court in West Virginia that's overseeing the multi-district litigation involving Boston and several other pelvic mesh makers.
A year and a day ago Judge Arnold New, director of the Complex Litigation Center at the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, ordered that "all currently filed pelvic mesh matters shall be transferred to the Complex Litigation Center Pelvic Mesh Mass Tort Program" for coordination.
But Boston Scientific, which said in a court filing that it's facing more than 15,000 cases in the West Virginia MDL, wants the cases against it in the Philly court removed to the U.S. District Court for Southern West Virginia under Judge Joseph Goodwin, according to notices of removal filed Feb. 10 in a Pennsylvania federal court.
"There are thousands of similar cases pending in the MDL in the Southern District of West Virginia in which plaintiffs have met the minimum amount-in-controversy such that a general court can exercise diversity jurisdiction over those cases," the company argued, according to court documents.
Companies including Boston Scientific, C.R. Bard (NYSE:BCR) and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) subsidiary Ethicon are facing thousands of product liability and personal injury lawsuits over their respective pelvic mesh devices.
In August 2014, New dismissed Secant Medical from the Philly mass tort, ruling that Pennsylvania state law shields Secant from the lawsuits because it only made a component of the larger companies' transvaginal mesh products, according to court documents.
Last September, New ruled that the companies in the Philly mass tort would have to challenge the lawsuits on a case-by-case basis, dismissing joint motions to toss all of the lawsuits en masse.

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Morning Break: Testosterone Adds Spice to Life; Hospital Dress Codes

Feb 12, 2015 | Med Page Today

How do I say goodbye? Dr. Wes bids farewell to his mom.
Doulas tap desire for personalized service mostly unfilled by midwives and OB/GYNs, reports The New York Times. Advertisement
"We failed," writes the Toronto Star of their recent controversial HPV vaccine article.
Turns out there's some kind of link between men's endogenous testosterone level and their appetite for spicy food, according to a French study. Wait, who paid for this?
Mislabeled balloon inflation ports on two of Covidien's Trellis peripheral infusion systems have forced a recall.
If 90% of nonimmunized people exposed even briefly to the measles virus become infected, and the virus hangs around a room for up to 2 hours after an infected person has been in it, how many people in San Francisco will come down with the disease after a measles-infected resident took BART trains to and from work for 3 days last week?
After a prolonged drought, here's why brain medicine may have found its footing once again, thinks Matt Herper.
The evidence for whether moderate drinking is healthy or not looks murky like a pint of Guinness.
Here's what the hospital dress code should look like to help your patients with compliance, suggests a new BMJ Open study.
Shirie Leng, MD, feels systemic exertion intolerance when it comes to the "verbal gamesmanship" of renaming chronic fatigue.
Can you diagnose this 21-year old woman's medical mystery of chronic headaches -- maybe the emergency room notes will help?
Speaking of which, here's why the VA Hospital system -- particularly the ED -- can be a great place to work.
J&J, embroiled in litigation over its vaginal mesh implant products, has dropped its bid for an investigation into solicitation of patients to join the suits. The presiding judge had subtly suggested the demand was obstructing settlement talks and plaintiffs' lawyers promised to avoid "wrongful solicitations of clients."

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