Kankakee Times

Illinois is set to receive approximately $1.64 million as its portion of a $60 million settlement over alleged deceptive marketing of transvaginal surgical mesh devices.

C.R. Bard Inc. and its parent company Becton, Dickinson and Co. were sued by a coalition of attorneys general from 48 U.S. states, according to Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul. The allegations in the suit were that C.R. Bard failed to disclose or otherwise misrepresented risks posed by the surgical mesh devices, which include chronic pain, scarring and shrinking of bodily tissue, painful sexual relations and recurring infections.

A synthetic knitted or woven fabric permanently implanted in the pelvic floor through the vagina, surgical mesh is commonly used to treat pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence, conditions that often result after pregnancy or as a part of aging. Thousands of women who received the surgical mesh have complained of serious complications.

“C. R. Bard sold these transvaginal surgical mesh devices, knowing that they could have serious, permanent side effects,” Raoul said. “The company’s actions caused women to experience painful and life-changing medical issues. Today’s settlement holds C.R. Bard and its parent company accountable and ensures that any future patients are better informed about the use of surgical mesh products.”

But the windfall for the states involved in the suit isn’t the only result.

C.R. Bard is also now required to provide understandable explanations of potential complications in marketing material, disclose complications in training, train anyone involved in marketing or promoting the mesh to report all patient complaints and adverse complaints to the company, and ensure they are compliant with FDA requirements regarding reporting patient complaints, according to the release. In addition, the company must “disclose sponsorship in clinical studies, clinical data or preclinical data being published.”