More than 100 women who suffered complications from vaginal mesh implants are the first in England to receive payments as part of a group claim.
It is understood that 140 women have reached an undisclosed settlement with manufacturers Johnson & Johnson, Bard and Boston Scientific. The payouts are expected to total millions of pounds and are the result of a long-running campaign by the Mail.
Transvaginal mesh implants, which are made of plastic, are used to treat incontinence and prolapse after childbirth.
But complications included chronic pain “like knives inside the body,” difficulty urinating, bladder and bowel perforations, bleeding and erosion of the mesh through the vaginal wall. Many needed another surgery to remove the mesh.
Lisa Lunt, of law firm Pogust Goodhead, which led the litigation at the High Court in London, said women who had the mesh implanted had endured “years of suffering” and “hundreds” were unable to make a claim because of the 10-year time limit from the date of manufacture.
Transvaginal mesh implants, which are made of plastic, were used to treat incontinence and prolapse after childbirth. But complications included chronic pain “like blades inside the body” (file image)
Kath Sansom, of the Sling the Mesh campaign, said the 140 women were “just a small fraction of the thousands whose lives have been irreversibly changed” (pictured)
Johnson & Johnson headquarters in New Jersey. It is known that 140 women reached an undisclosed settlement with manufacturers Johnson & Johnson, Bard and Boston Scientific
In April 2018, then Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt announced a review into vaginal mesh. Their use was suspended in July 2018 and they are now used only as a last resort. The government-commissioned inquiry blamed the scandal on a culture of medical misogyny.
Kath Sansom, of the Sling the Mesh campaign, said the 140 women were “just a small fraction of the thousands who have seen their lives irreversibly changed”.
A report by the patient safety commissioner called for a government-led compensation scheme, with initial payments of £20,000 for those injured by the implants.
Each of the companies involved in the case confirmed that the actions were settled without admission of liability.
The Department of Health said it is considering the review’s recommendations.