Endo International Plc. has agreed to pay more than $400 million to resolve lawsuits that have found women who have had vaginal-mesh implants that have eroded, leaving women in serious pain. The company has added the $400 million to it's already $1.2 billion liability reserve for these mesh devices that are designed to support pelvic muscles and also treat incontinence. The mesh implants that have seen the suits are the Apogee and Elevate mesh implant models.
Endo officials agreed this year to pay about $830 million to settle an additional 20,000 suits over the mesh implants, which are also said to cause organ damage in women who have had them implanted. This agreement comes a day after the FDA announced that vaginal-mesh inserts need to be subject to tighter safety requirements due to the high risk of these devices.
70,000 mesh devices were inserted by doctors in the U.S. in 2010 alone, placing them through incisors in the vagina to strengthen pelvic muscles that have failed to support internal organs and treat incontinence.
Other mesh device makers include: Natick, Boston Scientific, Bard, Coloplast. All of these companies are facing lawsuits.
Coloplast agreed to pay around $16 million to resolve 400 claims that its inserts harmed women. The average settlement was about $40,000 each per case.
Boston Scientific has agreed to pay $73 million to one woman who argued her defective mesh implant has left her in constant pain. The case was later contested and the settlement was cut in half to $36 million.
Bard has agreed to pay $21 million over 500 lawsuits leading to harmful vaginal-mesh implants in women. This equals to an average of more than $43,000 per claim.
Cases are anticipated to continue. If you or one of your loved ones has suffered from a vaginal-mesh implant defect, contact our attorneys at Lowe Law Group. We will work to ensure your family is taken care of and you get the settlement you deserve. Consultations are free and we don't get paid unless you get paid. Call us at 801-917-8500.
