“Johnson & Johnson knew the danger of its mesh products but put profits ahead of the health of millions of women,"
The products, also called transvaginal mesh, are a synthetic surgically implanted through the vagina of women whose pelvic organs have sagged or who suffer from stress urinary incontinence when they cough, sneeze or lift heavy objects.
Such incontinence is estimated to affect 3% to 17% of women and sometimes becomes severe after age 70.
Many women have sued the company alleging the mesh caused severe pain, bleeding, infections, discomfort during intercourse and the need for removal surgery.
The company's Ethicon surgical products unit ”responsibly communicated the risks and benefits of its transvaginal mesh products to doctors and patients," the company said in a statement.
It said Ethicon empathizes with women who suffer from pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence, and it recognizes that millions of patients have benefited from Ethicon devices.
In October,
At the time of the multi-state settlement, a spokeswoman for Ethicon said the company did not admit misconduct and that the devices were considered the “gold standard” by many for treating incontinence.
The
Last week,
Higher prescription drug sales and lower legal costs drove its fourth-quarter profit 32% higher.
After the most recent earnings report,
“A big question hanging over the company is how many billions of dollars it may have to pay as a result of the wave of products liability lawsuits it faces," he wrote.
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