September Brings Mesh Trials - Finally

Welcome to Mesh News Desk/ Mesh Medical Device News Desk!

When it rains it pours. This week there were THREE pelvic mesh trials all at the same time!

Forget the fact that we have waited for many months to have any litigation.... then they come all at once. Thanks goes out to Courtroom View Network, in my "spare time" I got to see a little of the proceedings in the Cardenas v. Boston Scientific case which BS won. Meanwhile our Ethicon case (Huskey v. Ethicon) here in Charleston, WV takes a three day break over the labor day holiday as both sides stay in town to prepare for the defense case.

TVT-O from TVT Meshed Up Mesh, UK

What the jurors don't know is that the TVT-O, the medical device in the Huskey trial, was already found defective by a jury in Dallas earlier this year!

While the U.S. system of justice is considered the best in the world, it leaves a lot out of the mix. What the jurors cannot hear is a longer list than what they can, the above just one item. Let's not forget that the jurors cannot hear there are, as of Friday, 66,861 cases filed in this ONE COURT where they have been consolidated as part of multidistrict litigation! There are 21,754 naming Ethicon/J&J alone! It is the largest manufacturer with the most cases. J&J vows it will fight these in court.

On other matters this month: I’ve taken some cynical criticism for allegedly profiting from these cases, trials, outcomes, any association with lawyers who specialize in this area, with lending companies, space aliens, and who know who else. I am never above honest criticism but please know there is no truth to those accusations whatsoever! There is no profit incentive here for me in my effort to report this story any more than any journalist profits for the reporting he/she does. At the end of the day, my goal—and my reward—is simply to tell the stories of mesh injuries, the FDA’s frequently apparent indifference, and the various cases of litigation and what mesh makers knew of the potential and documented risks in their march toward maximum profits. Sit in one of these trials and you will see how little you actually know. Speculation is fed by ignorance.

Having said that, honest reporting deserves some compensation. I'm always looking for supporters/ sponsors/ advertisers / donors to keep Mesh News Desk doors opened so I can keep reporting. You can contact me at janeakre@meshnewsdesk.com. Let's find creative ways to have MND work for you!

And with regard to criticism that I profit from gathering and then spreading your contact information or anything you write directly to me: As I say in the About Us page –personal e-mail content written to me is not shared. Ever. I promise. Anyone who knows me, knows I will ask if someone wants to connect with someone else. My partnership as a spokesperson with Corporate Action Network taps my experience in mesh injuries exactly the same way that major news organizations hire experts as consultants to give their unique perspectives on those issues. My association provides me and by extension all of us with the resources and expertise to reach a far wider readership and the online savvy to launch more-effective campaigns. We Are Mesh Survivors is following this trial and will cover others! CAN just won an award for its technology of grass roots organizing. We are all fortunate to be associated with them. At the end of the day it is the people whose voices and stories are shared through the Internet, who make things happen, as we learn time and again. Such people are the only thing that ever has brought meaningful change.

Fall leaves

Enjoy your September and your fall season, wherever you live!