BIG VICTORY

Hundreds of Australian Women Win Class-Action Lawsuit Against Johnson & Johnson Over Vaginal Mesh Devices

Seven hundred women had devices inserted into them that caused debilitating and chronic pain.

Hundreds of women who have experienced debilitating pain from Johnson & Johnson's transvaginal mesh devices won their class-action lawsuit against the company, The Guardian reports. The lawsuit, filed against companies owned by Johnson & Johnson, was initiated by 700 women who had mesh and tape products implanted to help treat pelvic prolapse or stress urinary incontinence. The women claim they were left with chronic pain that interrupted their daily lives and strained their mental health. The mesh, which was not properly tested before being released to the market, allegedly eroded, causing infections and complications in some women. Johnson & Johnson, along with the other companies named in the suit, are accused of knowing the risks of releasing the device out into the market and doing so anyway. The products have since been removed from the Australian market, and are subject to separate class-action suits in the U.S. and U.K.