A Georgia woman recently filed a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson over serious injuries caused by Physiomesh failure. The plaintiff, Sonia S., jointly filed this lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson and its prominent subsidiary, Ethicon, over Physiomesh failure alongside her husband, Billy Ray S.

According to the lawsuit, Sonia underwent implantation surgery for a Physiomesh device in December 2014, in order to repair a hernia. However, just a few months after her Physiomesh was implanted, Sonia began suffering from serious complications, including abdominal wall abscesses.

The hernia mesh lawsuit claims that these complications were caused by Physiomesh failure, and forced her to undergo surgery to alleviate these complications.

Doctors removed as much of the Physiomesh as they safely could from Sonia’s abdomen, according to the complaint, but she will be left with certain ongoing injuries and pain.

The Physiomesh failure lawsuit claims that neither Sonia nor her doctor were “adequately warned or informed by Defendants of the risks associated with the Physiomesh or the frequency, severity, or duration of such risks.”

Physiomesh Basics

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Ethicon’s Physiomesh product, known as Physiomesh Flexible Composite Mesh, back in March 2010. This approval did not go through the full testing and research requirements that are normally expected; instead, approval was granted through a fast-track system, allowing companies like Ethicon to show equivalency between their product and a similar product already on the market.

Ethicon marketed this device as a “sterile, low profile, flexible composite mesh designed for repair of hernias and other fascial deficiencies.” After its approval, the Physiomesh hernia mesh rapidly grew in popularity.

Unfortunately, after its approval and despite its popularity, Ethicon’s Physiomesh became associated with a number of serious side effects. In response to these risks, in May 2016, Ethicon withdrew its Physiomesh hernia mesh product from the market due to a high rate of Physiomesh failure.

Physiomesh Failure Side Effects

Patients who are implanted with Physiomesh may experience a number of serious complications, including but not limited to the following:

• Chronic pain
• Hernia recurrence
• Rejection of the mesh
• Infection
• Device migration
• Scarring
• Inflammation
• Organ adhesion
• Erosion
• Tissue and nerve damage
• Death

Sonia’s Physiomesh hernia mesh lawsuit was filed on multiple counts, including defective design, failure to warn, and negligence. Sonia’s husband, Billy Ray, also filed on one count of loss of consortium.

Filing a Lawsuit Over Physiomesh Failure Complications

Lawsuits allege that manufacturers like Ethicon failed to conduct adequate research and testing of their product, failed to warn about Physiomesh failure complications linked with the product, gave misleading information, and even actively concealed knowledge of defects, placing company profit over consumer safety.

If you or someone you love has suffered from Physiomesh hernia mesh complications like these after undergoing hernia repair, even months after the fact, you may be able to file a lawsuit and seek compensation for your injuries. While filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by Physiomesh failure, it can help to alleviate the financial burden caused by medical expenses and lost wages.

The Physiomesh Failure Lawsuit is Case No. 1:17-cv-02289-RWS, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.