Ethicon Vaginal Mesh Implant Lawsuit Trial Starts Today
By John Curran
The first lawsuit involving Johnson & Johnson’s Ethicon vaginal mesh implant products started yesterday with jury selection. Opening statements will be heard by the judge and jury today with the total trial expected to take a month in New Jersey. The plaintiff, Linda Gross, and her bladder sling implant lawsuit lawyer allege that 18 different surgeries were attempted to repair the damage caused by the implant in the past five and a half years.
Despite enduring multiple surgeries, Gross’ bladder sling implant still does not work properly. Vaginal sling implant failures have resulted in lawsuits against a variety of medical device manufacturers, including Coloplast, Mentor and others. However, plaintiffs are moving forward in Atlantic City after a lengthy pre-trial process that will affect some 1,800 vaginal mesh implant lawsuits. Gross’ bladder sling implant lawsuit lawyer will help decide the path of the New Jersey cases for women who have dealt with organ perforation and device migration.
Some of the facts seem to not be in doubt. Vaginal sling implant failures occur because for many women, the polypropylene used in the process is biologically incompatible. The resulting inflammation is what causes the device to dislodge itself. Vaginal mesh implant migration can lead to vaginal tearing, problems having sex and other problems. A woman’s first warning may be pus or bleeding, indicating that there are already problems.
Transvaginal mesh implants that use synthetic materials are often a problem to fix, as Gross’ case notes. The fact that they were meant to last longer than older products means that that they are stronger and therefore harder to modify and repair.
It is unclear why the FDA allowed the device to go through its accelerated approval process. Unlike its other transvaginal mesh implants, the devices were novel applications because of the synthetic material used. Unfortunately, they, like metal on metal hip implants, had to provide less medical data on their potential efficacy and adverse event expectations, which is part of the reason that so many makers are now facing plaintiffs’ claims.
Women who have not yet joined the case should act quickly. Even if they cannot join the New Jersey case, the results of it may affect how Ethicon and other manufacturers handle their case. Learn more with a no-cost legal review at the Transvaginal Mesh, Vaginal Sling, Vaginal Mesh and Bladder Sling Class Action Lawsuit Investigation. It may be possible to obtain a jury award or settlement to help defray the costs of the numerous revision surgeries required to fix any problems that occur.
Updated January 10th, 2013
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