Johnson & Johnson loses class action over vaginal mesh in Australia

More than 1350 women have won a seven year class action in Australia against the pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson over harm they suffered from its transvaginal mesh and tape devices.

Federal Court judge Anna Katzmann ruled that Johnson & Johnson’s subsidiary Ethicon had sold the products without warning women or doctors of the gravity of the risks and was negligent in rushing them to market without proper testing.

The case, one of Australia’s largest class actions, is one of many lawsuits worldwide over the products, used to treat urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse after childbirth. In …