Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has to pay $344 million over the lawsuits alleging the company for deceptive marketing of surgical mesh devices for use in pelvic procedures in women, as ordered by a Californian judge.
In 2016, California Attorney General Kamala Harris sued J&J along with its Ethicon unit alleging, the company wrongly marketed the device as being safe for stress urinary incontinence and failed to inform about the serious risks such as chronic pain and sexual dysfunction.
California’s current attorney general, Xavier Becerra, stated that profit was the main motive of J&J over the health of millions of women. The settlement for the lawsuit has brought justice to the women who suffered from the side effects of the device.
The spokesperson for J&J said that the company would appeal the decision as their Ethicon business effectively communicated the risks and benefits of the transvaginal mesh products to doctors and patients. The company even argued that during the 2019 trial, the state failed to prove any miscommunication from Ethicon.
J&J has settled many litigations over the safety of its mesh devices, which also includes an October 2019 agreement to pay $116.9 million to 41 states and the District of Columbia. Currently, J&J faces lawsuits from about 100,000 plaintiffs over the safety and false marketing of a range of products, including opioids and baby powder.
