Did Boston Scientific Use Counterfeit Plastic in Pelvic Mesh?

Companies that sell implantable transvaginal mesh devices have been fighting massive, multi-district litigation for years as thousands of U.S. women have complained of severe complications after surgery. Now, a scathing 60 Minutes report on the issue has Boston Scientific up in arms. CBS aired the 60 Minutes report Sunday evening, uncovering emails that suggest Boston Scientific knowingly bought counterfeit plastic material from a Chinese supplier to produce the devices and even repackaged the material to hide the fact that it was an imitation product. The show's producers said Boston Scientific declined an interview with 60 Minutes, but the company responded to the claims in a statement issued shortly after the segment aired. The investigative story contained "completely false claims that our transvaginal mesh products contain counterfeited and smuggled materials," according to the company's statement, which is signed by CEO Mike Mahoney, and Dave Pierce, president of Boston Scientific's urology and pelvic health division. Vaginal mesh implants made of polypropylene, a type of plastic commonly used in packaging.  Boston Scientific originally bought a brand of polypropylene called Marlex from a Texas-based subsidiary of Chevron Phillips. But in 2005, Chevron Phillips stopped selling Marlex to Boston Scientific out of concern that the material should not be used in medical applications involving permanent implantation into the human body. "Later, when Boston Scienti...
Source: MDDI - Category: Medical Devices Authors: Tags: Business Materials Source Type: news