Another vaginal mesh lawsuit has been added to the rising number of product liability lawsuits filed against Ethicon, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, alleging that the medical device company deceitfully concealed the dangers of vaginal mesh devices and that it has violated consumer protection laws.

According to the vaginal mesh lawsuit multidistrict litigation (MDL), Ethicon negligently manufactured and sold defective and unreasonably dangerous products, and subsequently withheld information from consumers and the medical community about the risks of surgical mesh.

The vaginal mesh lawsuits in the MDL allege that surgical mesh may erode through the vagina, causing infections and other serious complications.

Among the most recent vaginal mesh lawsuits filed is that of a New York woman. Plaintiff Isabel P. filed her vaginal mesh lawsuit against Ethicon and two other vaginal mesh manufacturers in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas.

According to Isabel’s short form complaint, she claims that the mesh implanted in her body surgically in February 2009 was negligently designed, thereby causing serious side effects such as mesh erosion, chronic pain, and other vaginal mesh complications.

Vaginal Mesh Complications

Transvaginal mesh is a medical device that is a fibrous, net-like substance that is implanted to treat stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and pelvic organ prolapse (POP) in women. SUI and POP are conditions that most often arise in women after hysterectomy, childbirth or menopause.

SUI is the inability to hold urine if physical stress is experienced (lifting, bending) or through stress created by POP.  Pelvic organ prolapse occurs when the pelvic muscles of a woman weaken, allowing the pelvic organs including the uterus, bladder and rectum to protrude or sag into the vagina.

Some mesh designs and recommended implantation techniques have contributed to infections, vaginal tissue erosion, and organ perforation along with other complications including worsened and possibly permanent urinary incontinence.

The FDA has reviewed scientific research regarding transvaginal mesh placement for procedures performed over the 15 year period of 1996 to 2011.  The results of the investigation showed that transvaginal mesh procedures caused greater risks than non-mesh repairs and that many of the transvaginal procedures did not successfully repair pelvic organ prolapse.

Ethicon Vaginal Mesh Lawsuits

Nearly 100,000 individual vaginal mesh lawsuits have been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on behalf of women who have been injured by transvaginal mesh. Many more cases are pending in other state courts.

In her individual vaginal mesh lawsuit, Isabel P. is seeking restitution and punitive damages for Ethicon and Johnson & Johnson’s alleged gross negligence and failure to warn about dangerous vaginal mesh complications.

The Vaginal Mesh Lawsuit is Case No. 2:15-cv-14910 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas, Topeka Division and the Ethicon Transvaginal Mesh MDL is 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, Charleston Division.