The seventh transvaginal mesh trial in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas concluded with the jury declaring a deadlock in the case involving healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson (Ethicon) following four days of deliberation. The trial which began on August 27 ended with the mistrial announcement by Judge Michael Erdos.
The plaintiff, aged 67, was implanted with a Tension Free Vaginal Tape-Obturator system (TVT-O) on April 3, 2008. In subsequent days she experienced vaginal pain, urinary tract infections, vaginal bleeding, and dyspareunia. She underwent revision surgery on September 29, 2009, when her surgeon removed “very tight adhesions of the tension-free vaginal tape on the right periurethral area” and “trimmed” the TVT-O. However, she continued to experience severe complications due to the mesh implant. This is the first trial linked to TVT-O polypropylene mesh design defects.
Lawsuits filed against Ethicon Pelvic Mesh claiming design defect complications and failure to warn allegations are centralized as a part of a multidistrict litigation (MDL No. 2327; In Re: Ethicon, Inc., Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation) overlooked by U.S. District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin in the Southern District of West Virginia.
