Many women suffer from defective vaginal implants. More than 1300 of them have won a class action lawsuit in Australia against the US pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson.
In Sydney, the Supreme Court ruled that women are right, many of whom claim to be in chronic pain. Judge Anna Katzmann said that in the development of the so-called vaginal nets ("Vaginal Mesh") was negligent and so the health of women was disturbed. The group knew the risks.
Nets never tested properly
Johnson & Johnson are now facing a heavy fine. Their height is to be determined in February. The networks were developed by the pharmaceutical company Ethicon, which belongs to the group. When the Australian Federal Court announced the verdict, there was much applause in the courtroom.
The nets were in Australia for more than ten years until 2017 in the trade. The synthetic fabric was supposed to help women who suffered from weak pelvic floor muscles or uncontrolled urine loss after birth.
The nets should support over-stretched or cracked tissue. They were - similar to a hammock - fixed with an operation in the pelvis. Judge Katzmann said in the verdict that networks have never been properly tested. There has never been enough data to be sure.
For women who were able to use such nets, this resulted, among other tissue damage, inflammation and incontinence. Many sufferers stated that they could no longer have pain-free sex. One woman said in the procedure that the pain was so severe, "as if I had a razor blade in my vagina."
