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Bayer AG has reached a $1.6 billion deal to settle roughly 90% of the claims involving Essure, a contraceptive product that has caused serious health problems for thousands of women in the U.S. Essure originally entered the market in 2002, sold by Conceptus Inc. The company and product were acquired by Bayer in 2013. However, a deluge of complaints about serious side effects prompted an FDA investigation and advisory panel in 2015, which resulted in a recommendation for “black box” warnings—the agency’s strongest safety warning with stricter patient decision checklists. By 2018, Bayer stopped selling the product entirely.
How Essure Failed Women
By that point, however, tens of thousands of women had already experienced the dangers firsthand. Essure coils, which are directly inserted into the fallopian tubes, had reportedly caused a wide range of reproductive injuries including:
- Perforation of the uterus and fallopian tubes
- Abdominal pain
- Menorrhagia (abnormal, heavy or prolonged bleeding)
- Miscarriages
- Unintended pregnancy
In some cases, complications involving the product were so severe that some women were forced to undergo hysterectomies to remove their Essure devices.
What the Settlement Means for Patients
For the thousands of women represented in the claims against Bayer, this settlement hopefully signals imminent relief. Bayer representatives indicate this $1.6 billion deal will resolve about 90% of the nearly 39,000 claims brought by women in the U.S. The company maintains no admission of wrongdoing or liability, but still claims to “sympathize with all women who have experienced adverse health conditions, regardless of the cause...”
Despite Bayer’s reluctance to accept liability, this settlement will bring justice to those women who suffered serious complications after choosing to have an Essure device implanted. Many racked up tens of thousands in medical costs and suffered serious pain and injury they were never warned might happen. We are proud to fight for the victims of pharmaceutical negligence and give them a voice against multinational giants.
Did You Try Essure and Experience Serious Side Effects?
If you are a victim of Essure-related injuries, you need to act quickly to ensure your voice is heard. Our experienced attorneys are here to help you seek justice and compensation. Depending on your situation and the harm you’ve suffered, we can seek compensation for medical expenses, including:
- Surgical cost
- Specialist appointment fees
- Medication expenses
- Additional therapy expenditures
If you have suffered any reproductive injury due to Essure, let our firm help you.
Contact Kershaw Talley Barlow today if you think you have an Essure case. You can call (916) 520-6639 or send us a message online to schedule a free consultation with our experienced attorneys.