Ethicon Inc. and Johnson & Johnson are being sued in a vaginal mesh lawsuit by a Tennessee woman for being implanted with a defective medical device that has caused numerous women personal injuries ever since the products hit the pharmaceutical market.

Plaintiff Lucinda M., a resident of Tennessee, has filed this vaginal mesh lawsuit against J&J and its Ethicon subsidiary because of their allegedly defective pelvic mesh product, the Prolift +M. This product is at the center of a vaginal mesh multidistrict litigation (MDL), as thousands of women allege they suffered personal and sometimes permanent injuries from the pelvic mesh device’s design defect.

According to the vaginal mesh lawsuit, Lucinda had the Prolift transvaginal mesh product implanted on Feb. 19, 2010, at her local medical center. In filing this vaginal mesh lawsuit, Lucinda brings several allegations against Ethicon and J&J, including: negligence, manufacturing defect, failure to warn, defective product, design defect, common law fraud, fraudulent concealment, constructive fraud, negligent misrepresentation, negligent infliction of emotional distress, breach of express warranty, breach of implied warranty, violation of consumer protection laws, gross negligence, unjust enrichment, punitive damages, and discovery rule and tolling.

The Vaginal Mesh Lawsuit is Case No. 2:15-cv-11381 and is part of the Vaginal Mesh MDL, In Re: Ethicon Inc. Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2327, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia.

Ethicon Prolift Vaginal Mesh System

The Ethicon Gynecare Prolift Mesh, introduced by Ethicon and J&J in March 2005, is a transvaginal mesh device manufactured from absorbent plastic fibers. These fibers are designed to be implanted within a woman’s pelvis to treat pelvic organ collapse and stress urinary incontinence issues.

However, after receiving numerous reports of vaginal mesh complications regarding several different vaginal mesh products and brand names, the FDA published a 2008 Public Health Notice. This health notice warned physicians and consumers of the possible vaginal mesh side effects that could cause serious and even permanent harm to women.

In 2011 alone, over 1,000 adverse effect reports pertaining to Ethicon and other manufacturers of transvaginal mesh products were submitted to the FDA, prompting the federal agency to order extensive research and testing on existing vaginal mesh systems and the possible vaginal mesh complications and side effects that can impact medical device users.

Some vaginal mesh side effects consumers may experience while using Ethicon’s Prolift or other vaginal mesh systems include:

• Pain during intercourse
• Urinary issues
• Pelvic organ prolapse
• Scarring in the vaginal area
• Perforated bowels, bladder, and/or blood vessels
• Erosion of mesh into the vagina
• Infection
• Various organ injuries

Many of the vaginal mesh complications listed above require surgeries and treatments such as vaginal mesh removal surgery, IV therapy, blood transfusions, and surgical draining of abscesses and hematomas.

If you or someone you know has been harmed by a vaginal mesh product, the option of filing a vaginal mesh lawsuit or joining a vaginal mesh class action lawsuit exists.