Another pelvic mesh lawsuit has gone against the company in a big way, with jurors levying punitive damages.
Pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson has lost another trial over its pelvic surgical mesh, a product that triggered nearly 55,000 lawsuits against the company, Bloomberg News reports.
This latest verdict, reached Friday in Philadelphia, hits the company with punitive damages of $17.5 million on top of the $2.5 million awarded to the Cinnaminson woman who brought the lawsuit.
The hefty punitive damage means jurors were convinced of the woman's argument that the company knew its mesh, which had been used without issue in hernia repairs, caused problems in women.
The mesh kits were sold until 2012 as a way for surgeons to help bolster the pelvic walls against sagging pelvic organs. Instead, many women found the mesh implant contracted, shifted around, or broke in pieces, according to the lawsuits.
Ethicon, the J&J subsidiary based in Somerville, faces three upcoming trials in Philadelphia, according to Bloomberg News, as well as two "bellwether" trials in Bergen County this fall, according to Adam Slater, designated as one of the lead attorneys for the thousands of pelvic mesh cases filed in New Jersey.
While J&J has reportedly settled some cases on an individual basis, the company and the major tort attorneys involved in the issue have not reached any broad settlements that would avoid thousands of trials.
An Ethicon spokeswoman indicated the company intended to appeal this most recent Philadelphia verdict.
The company withdrew its product from the market after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration decided it should carry a higher level of warning to patients, as well as be subjected to more formal safety studies.
The company is also being sued by state attorneys general in Kentucky, California and Washington, who claim J&J misled both women and their surgeons about the implant's true risks.
Kathleen O'Brien may be reached at kobrien@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @OBrienLedger. Find NJ.com on Facebook.