Endo Agreed to Settle Lawsuit Over Mesh Products

In October of 2014, Endo International PLC (”Endo”) agreed to settle claims stemming from lawsuits that alleged problems with its vaginal mesh products. In the settlement, Endo asserts that the agreements are not an admission of liability.

According to Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Endo agreed to pay “more than $400 million to resolve lawsuits” that alleged the vaginal mesh implants “eroded in some women and left them in pain.” Bloomberg notes that the “deal resolves more than 10,000 suits for an average of $48,000 a piece.” Endo has reportedly reserved $1.6 billion for liability arising out of its surgical mesh products.

Endo still faces thousands of other suits over the mesh products. Some of those cases have been consolidated in Charleston, West Virginia, before United States District Court Judge Joseph Goodwin, who is overseeing the Multi District Litigation.

Vaginal mesh products were approved by the Food and Drug Administration for pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence. Pelvic organ prolapse refers to the prolapse or drooping of any of the pelvic floor organs. Urinary incontinence is the unintentional loss of urine. Stress incontinence happens when physical movement or activity such as coughing, sneezing, running or heavy lifting puts pressure (stress) on the bladder.

Endo and its Minnesota-based subsidiary, AMS are among several major medical device manufacturers who have faced a wave of litigation in the last few years over the devices. The women suing Endo and its related companies, have alleged the companies of selling defective devices that caused them injuries such as bleeding, chronic pain, incontinence, and infection.