VAGINAL MESH AND BLADDER SLING LAWYERS

Our vaginal mesh and bladder slings attorneys are aggressively investigating and litigating cases on behalf of women throughout the United States who have suffered severe complications as a result of the Gynecare (Ethicon) Prolift Anterior, Posterior, and Total Pelvic Floor Repair Systems, Bard Avaulta Pelvic Floor Repair Systems, Boston Scientific Uphold and Pinnacle Pelvic Floor Repair Kits, American Medical Systems (AMS) Apogee, Perigee and Elevate Prolapse Repair Systems and related mesh products.

Partner Adam M. Slater, a New Jersey certified civil trial lawyer, has been appointed as plaintiffs’ Co-Liaison Counsel in the consolidated cases proceeding in New Jersey State Court against Gynecare, Ethicon and Johnson & Johnson, which encompasses most of the cases pending against these defendants in the United States. We are the only law firm with multiple New Jersey cases that have advanced to depositions.

On September 7, 2011, the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News, and ABC News each reported that because of safety concerns over transvaginal mesh devices an FDA panel is recommending that these devices should not be approved for surgical repair of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) through the less-rigorous FDA approval process. Partner, Adam Slater, is quoted in each article:

"Clinical trials should have been done," said Adam Slater, a plaintiffs' attorney who is involved in nearly 300 mesh cases. "Instead, they used real patients as guinea pigs."

"The whole concept of the 510(k) process should be scrapped," says Adam Slater, the New Jersey attorney representing Gross and other women who are suing Johnson & Johnson.

"The 510(k) process utterly failed to protect the thousands of women who were implanted," Slater wrote to the advisors. "Now the FDA has the opportunity to at least protect women on a going-forward basis."

On July 13, 2011, the FDA issued a strongly worded report and warnings based on the growing number of complaints of injuries suffered by the victims of vaginal mesh and bladder slings reported to the FDA and a review of current medical literature and studies. Specifically, the FDA stated: (i) Complications related to transvaginal mesh surgery are NOT rare; (ii) There is no evidence that transvaginal mesh repair is more effective than traditional non mesh repair; and (iii) Transvaginal mesh surgery exposes patients to greater risk than traditional non mesh repair.

These are medical devices, commonly referred to as pelvic mesh, vaginal mesh, and bladder slings, which are used in the treatment of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and stress urinary incontinence (SUI). These medical devices are predominantly made of polypropylene mesh. Unlike many other law firms claiming an expertise in this field, who are “collecting” cases, we are actually filing lawsuits and aggressively litigating these cases for our clients, having already obtained and reviewed tens of thousands of pages of internal documents from the product manufacturers, among other things.

If you or a loved one has suffered complications as a result of a transvaginal mesh or bladder sling implant, please contact a Vaginal Mesh and Bladder Sling Lawyer today.

To report complications you have experienced as a result of mesh, visit the following link from the Food and Drug Administration's website. This link will provide you with the information that you need in order to report the pelvic mesh related complications that you have suffered from to the FDA via the MedWatch Program. This FDA website will also provide you with information regarding the MedWatch Program as well as information regarding the FDA's monitoring of Medical Device Safety.

DEFECTIVE VAGINAL MESH AND BLADDER SLING PRODUCTS

Our independent investigation indicates that vaginal mesh products including but not limited to the Gynecare Prolift, Bard Avaulta, Boston Scientific Pinnacle and Uphold, and AMS (American Medical Systems) Apogee, Perigee, and Elevate have not met reasonable safety standards. In fact, in October 2008 and February 2009, the FDA issued the first Public Health Notifications concerning the use of mesh products in treatment of stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. After receiving over 1,000 reports and complaints, the FDA warned of serious complications resulting from the placement of these mesh products, including the Gynecare Prolift, Bard Avaulta, Boston Scientific Pinnacle and Uphold and AMS Apogee, Perigee, and Elevate. These Notifications have been followed up with the most recent July 13, 2011 report and warnings.

Our investigation also indicates that Gynecare, Bard, Boston Scientific and AMS did not adequately disclose and warn of the significant risks of these products in their physician literature, patient literature, and websites. These inadequacies deprived women of the opportunity to make informed choices as to how they wanted their treatable medical conditions to be repaired, leading them to choose to have pelvic mesh permanently attached to the inside of their pelvis - often with catastrophic results.

VAGINAL MESH AND BLADDER SLING COMPLICATIONS

The most frequent complications from these transvaginal mesh products include mesh erosion into the vagina, bladder, intestines and uterus, mesh shrinkage or contraction, mesh migration, mesh exposure, scar tissue formation, granuloma formation, infections, pelvic pain, urinary incontinence and development of urinary retention, dysuria (painful urination), dyspareunia (painful sexual relations), neuropathic pain, fistulas and recurrence of prolapsed organs. These complications have significantly decreased the quality of life many patients once enjoyed. The failure of the Gynecare Prolift, Bard Avaulta, Boston Scientific Pinnacle and Uphold, and AMS Apogee, Perigee, and Elevate, and other bladder sling and pelvic mesh products, can also lead to the need for multiple operations to try to remove the mesh and to repair extensive damage caused by the mesh. In many cases the mesh cannot be completely removed, permanently compromising a woman’s health.

With a lawsuit against the manufacturers of the Gynecare Prolift, Bard Avaulta, Boston Scientific Pinnacle and Uphold, and AMS Apogee, Perigee, and Elevate, and other pelvic mesh products, we may be able to help to compensate you for your pain and suffering and other damages. To learn more about a potential pelvic mesh bladder sling lawsuit, you should contact our Bladder Sling and Vaginal Mesh Lawyers immediately as the statutes of limitations restrict the time frame in which you may be able to pursue your claims.

If you believe that you or a loved one has been seriously injured due to these products, and you are interested in learning more about how we can help, please contact our Gynecare Prolift Bard Avaulta and Other Pelvic Mesh Bladder Sling Attorneys today.