As of the end of October, there have been in excess of 50,000 vaginal mesh lawsuits filed against manufacturers of these devices – yet a recent study published in the British Medical Journal suggests that this treatment for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is generally regarded as safe. Earlier this year, at a meeting of the American Urological Association, it was announced that the connection between the mesh and the painful symptoms suffered by these women was “unclear.” Nonetheless, the number of revision surgeries to remove the mesh is increasing.

This fall, a major medical device manufacturer is laying out millions of dollars to settle their vaginal mesh lawsuits. Endo, which manufactures and markets these products through its subsidiary, American Medical Systems (AMS), will be forking over another $400 million payment to resolve a large group of vaginal mesh cases. After this payment (and prior settlements occurring earlier this year), Endo is set to resolve almost all of the vaginal mesh lawsuits currently pending against the company in the U.S.

An interesting legal question has come up in a vaginal mesh lawsuit recently. It has to do with whether or not a third party that manufacturers one component of the device should share liability with the primary manufacturer that assembled and sold the final product. 

Endo, a subsidiary of American Medical Systems, recently announced that it will be paying out $830 million to settle around 20,000 transvaginal mesh lawsuit actions pending against it in multidistrict litigation. This is on top of over $54 million paid out last year as well as over $1 billion the company is holding in reserve to cover its legal costs.