Ethicon Never Tested Vaginal Mesh in Live Women, Product Manager Testifies

Johnson & Johnson’s Ethicon unit placed its Gynecare Prolift vaginal mesh on the market despite research suggesting a prototype would fail within six months in a significant percentage of women, a company manager told an Atlantic City, N.J., court. According to Scott Ciarrocca, who led the Ethicon product development team, research by French scientists before Prolift’s market launch found 20 percent of women had recurring symptoms within six months of getting the implant and 26.6 percent experienced device failure within a year.
Devices & Diagnostics Letter