Nieuws Juni 2012: Een paar dagen eerder publiceerde Bloomberg Businessweek onderstaand bericht:
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-06-04/j-and-j-tells-judge-it-will-stop-selling-vaginal-mesh-implant
J&J Tells Judge It Will Stop Sales of Vaginal Implants
By Alex Nussbaum and Jef Feeley on June 05, 2012
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)s Ethicon unit told a federal judge in West Virginia it intends to stop selling four vaginal mesh implants after being sued by more than 600 women who say the products caused internal injuries. Johnson & Johnson said it has requested approval from the Food and Drug Administration to stop commercializing the devices, in a letter filed yesterday with U.S. District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin in Charleston, West Virginia, who is overseeing the litigation. An Ethicon spokesman said in an e-mail that the unit would halt sales of the devices worldwide.The FDA in March said New Brunswick, New Jersey-based J&J had sold one of the implants, the Gynecare Prolift, for three years without proper regulatory approval. That followed the agencys order in January that J&J and 30 other makers of vaginal mesh implants study organ damage and other health complications blamed on the products, which are used to treat incontinence and shore up weakened pelvic muscles. Ethicon has asked the FDA for 120 days to end sales so it can notify its customers and provide those hospitals and surgeons with sufficient time to select alternative treatment options for their patients, the J&J subsidiary said in its letter. Ethicon will also discontinue or revise, as appropriate, all marketing materials during this time. The FDA hadnt responded to the request, according to the letter. The move covers the Prolift, Prolift+ M, TVT Secur and Prosima surgical meshes. Ethicon said its asked the agency to let it continue selling a fifth product, the Gyencare Gynemesh, with a change to the labeling that restricts its use.
Hundreds of Lawsuits Hundreds of women say the meshes, threaded into place through incisions in the vagina, have eroded and shrank over time, causing pain and injuries. Patients have filed suits against J&J, C.R. Bard Inc. (BCR) of Murray Hill, New Jersey; and Endo Health Solutions Inc. of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, along with other manufacturers. We are happy to see that Ethicon finally decided to do the right thing and stop selling these products, Bryan Aylstock, a Pensacola, Florida-based lawyer for mesh patients who are suing J&J, said in a telephone interview. Ethicon is discontinuing sales of the products worldwide, Matthew Johnson, a company spokesman, said in an e-mail. Its not recalling meshes already sold or implanted and its decision isnt based on any safety concerns, he said.
Carefully Considering We came to this decision after carefully considering numerous factors including the commercial viability of these products in competitive and declining worldwide markets, the complexities of the regulatory environments in which we operate, and the availability of other treatment options for women,Johnson said. We continue to have confidence in the safety and efficacy of these products, he said. Sales will be ended on a region-by-region basis, with the entire process to be completed by the first quarter of 2013, Johnson said. The Gynemesh will remain on the market only for abdominal implantations, he said. An FDA spokeswoman, Erica Jefferson, said in an e-mail that she couldnt comment on Johnson & Johnsons plan regarding the vaginal mesh implants. An agency report last year found a fivefold jump in deaths, injuries or malfunctions tied to vaginal mesh for organs that slump, or prolapse, because of weakened support. Two months later, an advisory panel urged the FDA to reclassify the devices as high-risk products needing human testing.
Endo Committed Endo (ENDP) will continue selling incontinence and prolapse mesh, the companys senior vice-president for corporate affairs, Blaine Davis, said today in a telephone interview. While publicity about the products safety has hurt sales, Endo sees the devices as a very beneficial treatment option when doctors choose the right patients, he said. The company, which sold about $85.5 million in womens health meshes in the past fiscal year, is putting more money into training doctors about how to use the products and plans to conduct studies to prove their safety, he said. The scope of the studies is being discussed with the FDA, Davis said. As a company, were very committed to these categories,he said. We are actually investing behind these products. Scott Lowry, a C.R. Bard spokesman, didnt return messages today seeking comment.
Prolift Approval J&J, the worlds biggest seller of health-care products, fell less than 1 percent to $62.21 at the close of New Yorktrading. C.R. Bard rose 1 percent to $96.41. Endo, which sells mesh through its American Medical Systems unit, fell less than 1 percent to $30.81.Ethicon introduced its Gynecare Prolift mesh in March 2005, touting it in an annual report as an innovative and effective surgical option for weakened muscles. The FDA said it learned of the Prolift only in 2007, when J&J sought approval for a related product. The company said it could market the Prolift without approval because it was so similar to the already approved Gynecare Gynemesh, Morgan Liscinsky, an FDA spokeswoman, said in March. FDA disagreed with this assertion, concluding distribution began without appropriate clearance, she said. The FDA cleared the Prolift in May 2008. The case is In Re Ethicon Inc. Pelvic Repair System Product Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2327, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia (Charleston). Pfizer Inc (PFE), based in New York, is the worlds biggest health-care company by sales.
