Putting a Face on Adverse Events
I hope you find this a helpful resource.
I’m National News Editor, Jane Akre, and I began Mesh Medical Device News Desk aka Mesh News Desk (MND) in the summer of 2011 just after the Food and Drug Administration issued an explicit warning to the public that complications associated with surgical mesh used for prolapse repair (POP) and incontinence (SUI) are NOT rare! That was the starting point for the litigation you see today and thousands of lawsuits have been filed by women whose lives have been altered, some permanently, by the use of this petroleum-based product.
Patients receiving the same product for hernia repairs are increasingly reporting the same complications.
That’s where Mesh News Desk comes in.
MND vows to provide balanced reports produced with the highest professional journalistic standards, talking to all sides and to investigate issues behind the headlines concerning medical devices and surgical mesh. An appearance on this website should not be considered an endorsement.
Jane Akre, Editor, Mesh Medical Device News Desk
Mission Statement
The public has learned about mesh complications largely through law firm advertisements but the story behind the solicitations remains largely untold. “Putting a Face on Adverse Events” is the mission of MND and its role has expanded as more information becomes available.
Mesh News Desk, is a news and information site published by Jane Akre, through her company, Independent News Group LLC, (ING LLC) news and information in the public interest. Here is the business listing for ING LLC under the Florida Sunbiz directory. Akre is a publisher, a journalist, and a researcher. She is not a doctor, lawyer or patient advocate. Please understand this is a mission of news and information that those affected by mesh implants might find helpful. Information here is not a substitute for legal and medical advice from professionals. Please use the Search Bar to find more on the topic of interest. Please donate as you would to any entity that delivers news – newspaper, internet, cable tv. or cellphone. Revenue is generated through advertising and reader donations. MND is not a legal referral service and your email is never shared!
The public is just now becoming aware that many medical devices do not undergo the same scrutiny as prescription drugs and are instead grandfathered in under an outdated FDA loophole that has gone largely unchanged since the 1970s. As a result, patients become the post-market clinical trial subjects, and many suffer devastating and permanent injuries.
Imagine a permanent medical device that does not undergo the same scrutiny as drugs! Even if that device cannot be removed. It defies common sense. I believe this is one of the most incredible public health issues of our day!
The goal of Mesh Medical Device News Desk is to raise the public’s awareness on the use of surgical mesh; to encourage doctors to apply critical thinking to the sale pitch of industries, usually through their sales reps; and to have regulators require scientific data before putting on the market any implantable medical device. Additionally, a user-friendly, accurate post-approval registry is long overdue to be able to spot trends in devices before many are harmed.
Coverage includes information and perspective from the regulatory, industry and patient point of view, something that still appears to be under the radar of most major news organizations. Patients, women, men, citizens deserve to have comprehensive fact-based reporting on these devices and medical procedures so they can have truly informed consent.
Please Note: Anything published can be subject to discovery demands from either side of litigation, so please thing twice before hitting a “send” key. Extremely personal information may be best shared with your legal and medical professionals. Please do not use your full name when commenting.
My Interest in the FDA and Surgical Mesh
I first became acquainted with the issues in 2009 and produced a series for Injuryboard called, Suffering in Silence, Part 1-4, where I interviewed many men and women who are suffering the effects of synthetic mesh used for hernia repair and female pelvic floor reconstruction. I myself have not received a pelvic mesh implant.
I have been a journalist for nearly 30 years working as a broadcaster, anchor and reporter at stations all around the country as well as CNN. I’ve won numerous awards including the Society of Professional Journalists Award for Ethics as well as the Goldman Prize, North America 2001 for environmental reporting. My then-husband and I challenged News Corp after it tried to suppress a story about synthetic bovine growth hormone (rBGH) used in much of the nation’s dairy supply. The litigation lasted eight years and included a jury award to me after a 5-week trial and an appeal of that decision.
BTW- the jury found that I was fired from Fox (News Corp) for threatening to report intention news distortion to the regulatory body, the Federal Communications Committee (FCC). The jury awarded me $425,000 but Fox immediately appealed. A three-judge panel overturned the victory and then Fox came after us for court costs. Ultimately we had to pay them some of their costs.
I wrote about this in the book, “Into the Buzzsaw".
Understanding the way the FDA approved rBGH (bovine growth hormone) is very similar to the way some medical devices slip through critical scrutiny by a federal regulatory system that sometimes feels more like the tail wagging the dog. Our story was told in the film, The Corporation, see a clip here.
Legal Stuff
This website is not a legal referral service and the information contained is not intended to substitute for advice from legal and medical professionals!
Your personal information or email will not be shared with anyone. Promise. Occasionally someone wants to reach out to someone else, but I always ask both parties before I serve as an intermediary. Your comments become the property of this website and your email may be used to enroll you in the Mesh Newsletter, an online update to the latest news mesh-related! Your information is never forwarded to law firms!
Ownership of the content on this website belongs to Independent News Group LLC, a multi-media communications company belonging to your editor, Jane Akre. The material has a copyright and the material may not be shared without written permission. That includes Mesh News Desk, Mesh Medical Device News Desk and Mesh Device News (the twitter name). As a publisher, ING LLC is supported through advertising and donations. Check out the DONATE button on page one!
Sponsored Content will be labeled as such so the reader can understand what comes from an advertiser! We always want our readers to be clearly informed. Thank you!
Readers should contact the editor, Jane Akre, with any concerns, additions or corrections. Please be advised MND and its staff cannot handle your personal requests but we are all ears for any story ideas! Please feel free to visit the site’s Facebook page to post your questions to an audience and to reach out to Patient Advocates who for advice and direction. Hernia mesh questions are handled by Bruce Rosenberg, a patient advocate, who is also mesh injured. Text him at (954) 701-5094. Mention my name.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions, story ideas, concerns or to discuss partnering opportunities.
