Almost 100 women in St. Louis, Missouri have filed suit against the manufacturer, Bayer. This Essure lawsuit insists that Bayer’s permanent form of birth control, Essure is dangerous, and they concealed the risks. Last September, the pharmaceutical giant halted sales of Essure everywhere in the world except for the United States. Yet, Bayer still insists on Essure’s safety.
About Essure
Essure is a soft, flexible metal spring made from a nickel-titanium alloy. Doctors offer it to women as an alternative to the invasiveness of tubal ligation. Essure typically involves general anesthesia and a laparoscopy in the doctor’s office unlike a tubal ligation, which occurs in a hospital and requires surgery. A doctor inserts one Essure coil into each fallopian tube. Scar tissue will form around the coil to obstruct sperm from fertilizing an egg in the fallopian tubes. Three months after the procedure, women must have a follow-up procedure involving an X-ray and dye to confirm that the tubes are fully blocked.
Dangerous Essure
The FDA received over 10,000 reports of injuries and 30 deaths from the device. This is just the small amount actually reported to the agency. Statistics have shown that many neglected to report adverse events to the FDA. The FDA only approved the device on the premise that Bayer completes a 3-year study following over 2,000 women with Essure. However, the company never completed the study. If they did, they would have known that their supposedly 100% safe device, in fact, had an 11% failure rate.
Increased Risk of Surgery
In 2015, the British Medical Journal published a study linking Essure with a 10-fold risk of needing follow-up surgery compared to tubal ligation. Researchers based their conclusions on an analysis of over 50,000 women in New York. Doctors sterilized these women between 2005 and 2013. During this time, 2.4% of Essure users needed additional surgery versus 0.2% of those who had laparoscopic sterilization. Additionally, this equated to about 10,000 women needing additional surgery after having Essure.
We Want to Help Essure Victims
It is your right for manufacturers to inform you about the long-term risks associated with the medical devices, and it is the responsibility of manufacturers to provide this information. If you or a loved one has suffered any side effects from Essure, you should demand accountability from Bayer. Why did no one warn you?
Of course, we want to help send a message that this is not acceptable. We are advocates for those harmed by dangerous products, and likewise, we have the experience necessary to successfully litigate these cases.
Contact the Michael Brady Lynch Firm today for a free consultation to learn more about seeking justice. A verdict or settlement may be available for any medical expenses associated with this ordeal, as well as for your physical and emotional suffering. There is no obligation.