Pa. Appeals Court Upholds $13.5 Million Ethicon Transvaginal Mesh Verdict

PHILADELPHIA — A Pennsylvania appellate court has upheld a $13.5 million verdict in an Ethicon Inc. Gynemesh TVT transvaginal mesh device, agreeing with a trial court that the defendants failed to adequately warn of the device’s risks.

In an April 11 opinion, the Pennsylvania Superior Court found the evidence at trial demonstrated that Ethicon knew that the TVT posed a high risk of injury but continued to market the device, ignored calls for improvement, and failed to warn doctors of its known and serious risks.

The Gynemesh TVT device is a sling-like implant consisting of polypropylene fibers that are …