Discontinuation of Four Vaginal Mesh Products Announced by Johnson & Johnson/Ethicon

    HEWLETT, NY, June 07, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The Rottenstein Law Group, which represents women with claims stemming from side effects and injuries caused by vaginal mesh reports that Ethicon, a division of Johnson & Johnson will stop selling four of its vaginal mesh products: the Prolift, Prolift+ M, TVT Secur and Prosima systems.

Ethicon announced its plans to stop selling these four products in a letter to U.S. District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin that the company filed earlier this week in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, where Judge Goodwin is presiding over the pre-trial proceedings of a multi-district litigation (MDL No. 2327) consolidating hundreds of cases against Ethicon for vaginal mesh injuries. The letter reportedly states that "Ethicon has asked the FDA for 120 days the end sales so it can 'notify its customers and provide those hospitals and surgeons with sufficient time to select alternative treatment options for their patients.'" The letter reportedly also stated that "Ethicon will also discontinue or revise, as appropriate, all marketing materials during this time."

According to a Bloomberg News article that appeared online on June 5, 2012, Ethicon also stated that it has asked the FDA to allow the company to continue selling a fifth product, the Gynecare Gynemesh, with a change to the product's labeling that would limit its use to surgeries that implant mesh through a woman's abdomen, as opposed through the vagina (i.e., transvaginally). In announcements questioning the safety of using vaginal mesh to treat a common condition known as pelvic organ prolapse (POP), the FDA has singled out this type of treatment as particularly problematic.

The Rottenstein Law Group is encouraged by Ethicon's voluntary removal of four of its surgical mesh products, as they are a law firm currently representing many of the claimants in the vaginal mesh MDLs against Ethicon and other mesh manufacturers. The firm maintains a Vaginal Mesh Lawsuit Information Web site at www.vaginalmeshlawsuit.com. The site describes all of the issues that mesh victims face and explains their options. There are features that allow for easy sharing on popular social media sites, including Facebook and Twitter, enabling visitors to spread the word about vaginal mesh implants and the dangers of these products. Visitors are also encouraged to link information to their own Web sites and blogs to spread information about defective medical devices and dangerous drugs.

About the Rottenstein Law Group
The Rottenstein Law Group is a New York-based law firm that represents clients in mass tort actions. The firm was founded by Rochelle Rottenstein, a lawyer with over two decades of experience in compassionate representation of clients in consumer product injury, mass tort, and class action law suits. For more information, please visit their Web site, or call (888) 9-ROT-LAW.

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