May 1, 2014 — Endo Pharmaceuticals and its American Medical Systems subsidiary have agreed to pay $830 million to settle thousands of vaginal mesh lawsuits. Payments are expected to occur through 2016.
Bloomberg reports that each woman who qualifies will receive a base payment of $40,000. However, the terms of the settlement allow women to seek higher compensation for severe injuries and multiple revision surgeries.
Endo agreed to a settlement of $54.5 million to resolve an undisclosed number of claims in July 2013. The latest settlement will resolve a “substantial majority” of pending claims — approximately 20,000 cases, leaving about 5,000, according to Bloomberg. The company is embroiled in a Multi-District Litigation (MDL) in federal court in West Virginia involving over 16,500 cases.
Endo/AMS vaginal mesh affected by settlement:
- Elevate Anterior & Posterior Prolapse Repair System
- Apogee Vaginal Vault Prolapse Repair System
- Perigee Transobrurator Anterior Prolapse Repair System
The settlement comes just a day after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed tightening safety regulations on vaginal mesh. The agency is considering re-classifying the implants from Class II (moderate-risk) to Class III (high-risk). Click here to read more.
Until now, manufacturers have avoided conducting safety studies by gaining approval for new devices under the 510(k) system, which allows new devices on the market so long as they are similar to an existing device. The FDA has already asked 31 manufacturers, including Endo, to conduct hundreds of safety studies.
Approximately 50,000 vaginal mesh lawsuits are pending in federal court against various manufacturers. Women claim that the products are defectively designed and prone to complications like erosion, infection, chronic pain, dyspareunia (pain during sexual intercourse), and more. Even with multiple revision surgeries, many women allege that they have suffered permanent injuries that greatly decrease quality of life.
Do I have a Vaginal Mesh Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting vaginal mesh induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been injured by Endo Perigee, Apogee, or Elevate vaginal mesh, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Defective Medical Device Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
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