C.R. Bard to Pay $60 Million for Deceptive Marketing with Vaginal Mesh Devices
C.R. Bard to Pay $60 Million for Deceptive Marketing with Vaginal Mesh Devices
C.R. Bard, a company that failed to properly inform women about the dangers of transvaginal mesh devices, will be required to pay $60 million as part of a settlement announced by state attorney generals across the United States. According to a CTV news report, the money from C. R. Bard and its parent company, Becton, Dickinson and Company, will be distributed among 48 states and the District of Columbia.
What the Settlement Means
Mississippi’s Attorney General Lynn Fitch said in a statement that the company failed to disclose serious and life-threatening risks of permanently implanted surgical mesh devices, leaving thousands of women to suffer debilitating, long-term health issues. He said this settlement holds the company accountable for its deceptive marketing practices.
Under this settlement, in addition to paying $60 million, C.R. Bard will be required to adhere to new requirements for marketing if the company sells the product again. The company will be required to disclose all potential complications associated with the product in its marketing materials.
Seriously Affected Victims
C.R. Bard is the latest manufacturer of these pelvic mesh products to pay a large settlement in connection with its defectively designed products. In 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stopped sales of all vaginal mesh products used for pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence, after patients reported severe complications including mesh erosion through organs, extreme pain during sexual intercourse and need for multiple surgeries to remove the mesh.
In October 2019, Johnson & Johnson agreed to pay a $117-million settlement to 41 states and the District of Columbia over similar allegations involving transvaginal mesh devices. In January, a judge ordered the pharmaceutical giant to pay nearly $344 million in added penalties for deceptively marketing these products. Pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence are common conditions faced by older women due to the weakening of the pelvic muscles. Millions of women around the world have been implanted with these mesh devices.
Our law firm has represented a number of women who have suffered extremely adverse side effects as a result of getting these mesh implants. The manufacturers of these products failed to inform millions of women who received these implants about the potential risks and complications they faced. If you have been injured or have suffered side effects because of transvaginal mesh products, please contact an experienced product defect lawyer to obtain more information about pursuing your legal rights.
