Pelvic floor mats or mesh are placed in women with pelvic floor prolapse, for example. These mats can cause serious, permanent health problems. Our office assists Dutch women who have been victims of the defective pelvic floor mats and plays an important role in the social and political debate on the subject.
Round table discussion House of Representatives
On Monday, November 25, 2019, a public roundtable discussion on the topic of implants was held in the House of Representatives, to which the Standing Committee on Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) had invited several experts. This roundtable discussion included (inter)national oversight organizations, medical specialists and patient organizations. The purpose of the roundtable discussion was to gain more insight into the question of how optimal safety regarding (the supervision and admission of) implants in the Netherlands can be achieved in the interest of the patient. This in preparation for the Lower House debate on Wednesday, November 27, 2019. During the discussion, an exchange of views took place between the various experts and with the politicians present, namely Van de Beek (CDA), Van Gerwen (SP), Ploumen (PvDA), Agema (PVV) and Veldman (VVD).
John Beer and Irene Timmermans wrote a position paper, in which they provide solutions to best serve patient safety. John Beer defended these plans in the House of Representatives during the roundtable discussion. In the November 24, 2019 ‘With an Eye on Tomorrow’ radio broadcast, he explained John Beer explained that it is actually not the patient who chooses to have an implant, but rather the doctor who makes the choice. John Beer was previously interviewed by Radar in November 2018 about the (in)safety of medical implants.
Australian judge's ruling
On November 21, 2019, an important judgment pointed out against manufacturer Ethicon/Johnson & Johnson. Hundreds of women had filed suit because of serious health problems following the placement of pelvic floor mats. The judge ruled in favor of the women. The Volkskrant published an article about this important step in the fight against pelvic floor mat manufacturers.
On Jan. 30, 2020, a U.S. judge ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay a fine of as much as $344 million. The judge found that the manufacturer intentionally withheld information about the risks of mesh and thereby knowingly misled doctors and patients. On February 10, 2020, the John Beer announced that he has since filed criminal charges - on behalf of his client who is a victim of the harmful mats - against the manufacturer in the Netherlands. More information can be found on the website of program Radar. In this program John Beer also interviewed on this issue. He accused the manufacturer of deliberately marketing products harmful to health, the harmful nature of which was deliberately concealed.
American ban
The US healthcare watchdog FDA halted the production and sale of all surgical mats in April 2019. According to the FDA, insufficient research has been done on the effectiveness and long-term complications, making the product unsafe.
On April 22, 2019, (former colleague) Miranda Walburg was interviewed about the ban in America on the use of pelvic floor mats. Watch the broadcast of April 22, 2019 in which Miranda Walburg says she expects that a Dutch ban on the use of these pelvic floor mats cannot be avoided. She also talks about a document, which shows that the raw material of the mats, the material polypropylene, is unsuitable for medical applications:
‘Medical application caution: do not use this Polypropylene material in medical applications involving permanent implantation in the human body or permanent contact with internal body fluids or tissues.’
For more questions on this topic and on product liability please contact John Beer.