Dozens of women injured in vaginal mesh implant scandal to receive millions of pounds in compensation

More than 100 women who suffered complications from vaginal mesh implants are the first in England to win compensation as part of a class action claim.

It is understood that 140 women have reached an undisclosed settlement with manufacturers Johnson & Johnson, Bard and Boston Scientific. The payouts are expected to total millions of pounds and follow a long-running campaign by the Mail.

Transvaginal mesh implants, made of plastic, have been used to treat incontinence and prolapse after childbirth.

But complications included chronic pain “like razor blades in the body,” difficulty urinating, bladder and bowel perforations, bleeding, and eroding mesh through the vaginal wall. Many needed further surgery to remove the mesh.

Lisa Lunt, of law firm Pogust Goodhead, which led the case at the High Court in London, said women who had the mesh implanted had “suffered for years” and that “hundreds” of women were unable to make a claim because of the 10-year limitation period from the date of manufacture.

Transvaginal mesh implants, which are made of plastic, have been used to treat incontinence and prolapse after childbirth. But complications include chronic pain ‘like razor blades in the body’ (file image)

Kath Sansom from the Sling the Mesh campaign said the 140 women were ‘just a fraction of the thousands of women whose lives have been irreversibly changed’ (pictured)

Johnson & Johnson Headquarters in New Jersey. Reportedly, 140 women have reached an undisclosed settlement with manufacturers Johnson & Johnson, Bard and Boston Scientific

In April 2018, then Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt announced an inquiry into vaginal mesh. Its use was suspended in July 2018 and it is now only used as a last resort. The government-commissioned inquiry blamed the scandal on a culture of medical misogyny.

Kath Sansom of the Sling the Mesh campaign said the 140 women are “just a fraction of the thousands of women whose lives have been irreversibly changed”.

A report by the Patient Safety Commissioner called for a government-led compensation scheme, with an initial payment of £20,000 for those injured by implants.

Each of the companies involved in the case confirmed that the actions had been resolved, but did not admit any liability.

The Ministry of Health says it is considering the study’s recommendations.