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(USGovernment-News.Com, April 27, 2014 ) New York, NY -- With hundreds of vaginal mesh lawsuits pending in federal court, a new social media campaign has been waged against Johnson & Johnson by the Corporate Action Network (CAN) over their pelvic mesh implants. The group has set up a website at Johnson and Johnson Hurts Women with a “countdown to the truth” ticker and a weeping eye in the logo. The group is asking that investors not buy any J&J stock or divest current investments. They are also asking that current or former J&J employees to be whistleblowers and provide tips.
CAN filed a complaint against J&J, CEO Alex Gorsky and other top company executives with the Department of Justice over allegations that the company destroyed critical documents involving lawsuits brought by thousands of women who have allegedly been harmed by the company’s pelvic mesh implants. CAN spokesperson Levana Layendecker said, “Over 20,000 women have been injured by Johnson and Johnson pelvic implants. We believe that this ad campaign will provide us with additional information to share with the public.” (medcitynews.com/2014/04/activist-group-targets-jj-transvaginal-mesh-social-media-attack/)
According to the Johnson and Johnson Hurts Women website, the goal of the campaign is to “put an end to Johnson & Johnson’s continued marketing of dangerous medical devices and continued disregard for health and safety.” While the main focus of the group is on transvaginal mesh, the website also talks about the antipsychotic Risperdal and artificial hip devices.
In 2011 the FDA issued a warning that is had received more than 2800 adverse event reports involving transvaginal mesh side effects that included:
Mesh Erosion
Erosion through internal tissue
Pain
Infection
Bleeding
Recurrence of pelvic organ prolapse or stress urinary incontinence
Urinary problems
Vaginal scarring
Bowel, bladder and blood vessel perforation
Painful sexual intercourse
Juries Find Johnson & Johnson Guilty In Vaginal Mesh Lawsuits
In February 2013, a New Jersey jury awarded a woman from South Dakota $3.35 million in a vaginal mesh lawsuit after finding that J&J failed to adequately warn her physician of the potential dangers of the Gynecare Prolift vaginal mesh manufactured by J&J subsidiary Ethicon. The plaintiff had to undergo 18 surgeries to try to repair the damage. The Gynecare Prolift was removed from the market in 2012. (nytimes.com/2013/02/26/business/johnson-johnson-told-to-pay-3-35-million-in-vaginal-mesh-case.html?_r=1&)
In April of this year, a Texas jury awarded a 64-year-old woman $1.2 million in a transvaginal mesh lawsuit after finding the design of the TVT-O mesh sling was flawed and caused the plaintiff to suffer pelvic pain as the device eroded inside her body. The TVT-O sling is still on the market though an attorney for the plaintiff said that it was the first opportunity a jury had to decide if Ethicon slings are defective. (nj.com/business/index.ssf/2014/04/post_285.html)
In 2009, a clinical trial involving vaginal mesh devices was halted early after researchers reported that the woman who were implanted with the mesh had too many complications for scientists to continue the trial. An article published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology, researchers said that safety reviews showed that more than 15 percent of vaginal mesh recipients suffered device erosion. (nytimes.com/2010/10/26/health/research/26complications.html)
According to the organization’s website, CAN “was founded to address the imbalance of power between corporations and people.” It says that it builds campaigns to corporate abuse by using a networked approach and toolsets that help campaigns grow into movements. The organization also supported Wal-Mart employees and fought on Wall Street for mortgage holders who lost their homes to “corporate greed.”
If you or someone you know has experienced serious sided-effects from bladder mesh and would like to learn more about your legal rights, contact the Oliver Law Group P.C. for your free case review by visiting www.legalactionnow.com or calling toll free 800-939-7878 today.
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