As Mesh Lawsuits Mount, American Medical Systems Sees Dive in Women’s Health Sales
August 6th, 2013 by Sandy Liebhard
Women’s Health sales at American Medical Systems slid 15% during the second quarter of 2013, a decline its parent company, Endo Health Solutions, attributed to ongoing concerns involving the safety of transvaginal mesh products. American Medical Systems is currently named in more than 8,840 vaginal mesh lawsuits involving devices used to treat stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse..
According a statement issued on August 6th to announce Endo’s second quarter earnings, American Medical Systems maintains that its pelvic mesh products are “an important treatment option for patients who suffer from stress urinary incontinence and/or pelvic organ prolapse.” The company says it “remains focused on educational activities as part of an overall effort to continue to encourage patients and physicians” to discuss the risks and benefits of those products.
Transvaginal Mesh Lawsuit Settlements Announced in Some American Medical Systems Cases
American Medical Systems and other manufacturers of transvaginal mesh have faced mounting product liability litigation since October 2008, when the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) issued the first of two safety alerts regarding the high rate of injuries seen among women implanted with the devices. In 2011, the agency’s second alert warned that mesh complications associated with prolapse repair were not rare. The FDA is now considering subjecting such devices to greater regulatory scrutiny, and has asked American Medical Systems, along with other transvaginal mesh manufacturers, to conduct safety studies of their products to aid in its review.
In June, it was revealed that Endo had agreed to pay nearly $55 million to settle claims involving certain of its pelvic mesh products, including Perigee, Apogee and Elevate implants. However, Bloomberg.com reported at the time that those settlements resolved only small fraction of the thousands of transvaginal mesh lawsuits filed against the company.
Meanwhile, the federal transvaginal mesh litigation underway in West Virginia federal court for American Medical Systems lawsuits is continuing to progress. According to a Pretrial Order issued July 1st by U.S. District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin of the Southern District of West Virginia, four lawsuits have been selected for the litigation’s bellwether trials, with the first to begin on December 3, 2013. The bellwether trials will provide much needed insight into how juries might weigh claims in similar mesh lawsuits filed against American Medical Systems.
Mesh Lawyers Continue to Evaluate Claims
Bernstein Liebhard LLP’s mesh lawyers are continuing to evaluate product liability claims against American Medical Systems and other transvaginal mesh manufacturers. If you or a woman you love suffered serious vaginal mesh complications, please call to learn more about your legal options.
