A Delaware jury on Thursday ordered Boston Scientific to pay $100 million to a woman who said she was injured by transvaginal mesh, a device manufactured by the company that is the subject of more than 25,000 lawsuits.
Following a two-week trial, jurors concluded that Boston Scientific had been negligent in designing and making the devices and that it had failed to warn patients and doctors about potential risks Jurors awarded Deborah Barba $25 million in compensatory damages, and an additional $75 million in punitive damages, according to her lawyers.
The 51-year-old Newark, Delaware-resident was implanted with Boston Scientific's Pinnacle and Advantage Fit mesh products in 2009, to treat pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence, according to her 2011 lawsuit. The devices caused serious complications, she said, and despite two subsequent surgeries to try to fix the problems, parts of the devices are still in her body, continuing to cause pain.
Thursday's verdict is the largest one yet in litigation over transvaginal mesh devices against Marlborough, Massachusetts-based Boston Scientific or any other mesh manufacturer. It is the sixth verdict so far against the company by women who say that the devices are poorly designed and use subpar materials, resulting in painful physical injuries such as bleeding and infection.
Boston Scientific has denied that the products are defective or that it failed to warn about potential complications. A company spokeswoman said they strongly disagreed with the verdict and intend to appeal.
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