Johnson & Johnson is facing a new hernia mesh lawsuit from a Louisiana man, claiming the defective nature of the product had forced him to undergo hernia mesh removal.

The hernia mesh lawsuit alleges that in direct result of the company’s negligence, Plaintiff Leon W. had to undergo a hernia mesh removalprocedure to resolve the complications caused by the company’s product.

Leon had opted for the Physiomesh hernia mesh product for hernia repair on July 2, 2013, after reviewing the company’s marketing materials. After going over different options with his physician he ultimately agreed to use a Physiomesh. However, not long after the Physiomesh hernia mesh was implanted, Leon says he began experiencing complications.

These complications eventually forced Leon to undergo hernia mesh removal on July 12, 2016, which he says has left him with permanent physical damages. Hernia mesh removal was the only option for Leon after the Johnson & Johnson hernia product allegedly inflicted various injuries.

Leon opted to file legal action against Johnson & Johnson after discovering the high failure rate associated with the Physiomesh hernia mesh product. At all times relevant, Leon and his doctor had only used the hernia mesh product for its intended purpose and Leon did not deviate from physician’s advice.

In addition, there were no warnings or language indicating the device’s propensity for serious side effects including:

• Chronic Pain
• Hernia Mesh Rejection
• Hernia Mesh Migration
• Chronic Inflammation
• Adhesions
• Erosion
• Infection
• Nerve Damage
• Tissue Damage

Overview of the Physiomesh Hernia Mesh Complications

Physiomesh consists of two layers of polyglecaprone-25 (“Monocryl”) film covering another two underlying layers of polydioxanone film, which is supposed to help make it safe for implantation.

Numerous patients, however, have alleged this product caused them to develop numerous problems linked to infection and body rejection. This has forced many patients to undergo hernia mesh removal.

According to the hernia mesh lawsuit, the multilayer coating of Physiomesh allows for bacterial cells to reproduce and spread because the body’s immune system cannot eliminate them. These serious complications eventually led Johnson & Johnson, and subsidiary Ethicon Inc., to withdraw the Physiomesh hernia mesh product from the market in May 2016.

Johnson & Johnson reportedly recalled Physiomesh due to higher than expected hernia mesh removal and revision rates.

Physiomesh hernia mesh was approved to go to market through the FDA’s 510(k) process. This means the Physiomesh product did not have to undergo rigorous pre-market studies, since Ethicon showed it was substantially similar to an already released product.

The Physiomesh hernia mesh product was marketed as a “sterile, low profile, flexible composite mesh designed for repair of hernias and other fascial deficiencies.” But the numerous cases of hernia mesh removal and revision surgery have suggested otherwise, with a number of patients opting to file legal action against Johnson & Johnson.

Leon states he never would have opted for the Physiomesh hernia mesh product, if he had known the product’s association with injury and high revision rates.

This Hernia Mesh Lawsuit is Case No. 1:17-md-02782-RWS, in the U.S. District Court of of Western Louisiana.