Mesh Around the World

Mesh Medical Device News Desk, July 24, 2017 ~ While the U.S. seems to be slowing down in mesh litigation while settlements take place behind the scene, across the globe a collective energy and consistent voice demanding change is being heard.

In Philadelphia

In Philadelphia, preparations for the Ebaugh v. Ethicon trial coming up Monday, July 31, in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. Case No. 1307-00866.

Kline & Specter represent Ella Ebaugh and her husband who are from Pennsylvania. She is suing Johnson & Johnson, Ethicon, Prodesco, Inc., Gynecare, Secant Medical. Drinker, Biddle & Reach represent the defendant.

She was implanted May 2007 with the Gynecare TVT Secur by Dr. Paul Douglass. On or about July 2007 she underwent a mesh revision and was implanted with Gynecare TVT. She had a mesh removal in July 2011 performed by Dr. Howard Mirsky. She had another corrective surgery in March 2012 by Dr. Toby Chai. She has suffered pain, loss, permanent injury, mental suffering, and medical expenses.

The last TVT-Secur trial was won by Johnson & Johnson last month, the first of five cases in this Philadelphia venue to be won by the defendant corporation. Here is MND coverage.

Outside federal court, Sydney, AU

In Australia

A trial pitting 700 women against Johnson & Johnson continues and is expected to take six months. Caz Chisholm of Australian Public Mesh Support Group, articulates a thorough and thoughtful call to action here.

The Herald reports, here, J&J has reduced its pool of possible assets in case the plaintiffs win the action. A deed cross guaranteeing seven J&J subsidiaries was allowed to lapse. Until 2017, the companies had guaranteed each others’ debts.

It’s estimated at least 100,000 transvaginal mesh medical devices have been sold in Australia and 8,000 women have been implanted there.

Campaigners from Sling The Mesh, Cambstimes.co.uk

In the United Kingdom

In the UK, a report by the English Group Working Party into mesh is due out this week.

Kath Sansom, Sling The Mesh Campaign says Roland Morley, mesh consultant and urologist, is on the English Group Working Party into mesh group. Throughout last weeks gathering of mesh-injured at Parliament, he rolled his eyes, says Sansom. Mr. Morley laughed when patient safety campaigner Ken Lownds spoke about suffering and broke down into tears.

“He probably thought because he was at the back nobody would see. But I did,” she says. “Such behavior is disgraceful and disrespectful but sums up how surgeons view women suffering,” reports Sansom.

Here is the Mesh Working Group Interim Report, December 2015.

While it encourages more reporting of adverse events and collection of that data, informed consent is important and should be reviewed every two years. True informed consent might take longer. It does not call for any ban into the procedure or on the use of transvaginal mesh.

The question is will it be another whitewash as campaigners called the Scottish report on mesh, which is here. (March 2017).

It essentially recommends that informed consent, clinician’s reactions to women with adverse events, data gathering could all be improved, but in the meantime it does not call for the suspension of mesh implants while the improvements are underway.

Here is what you can do to help Scottish Mesh Survivors continue the ban in their country. ###