Plaintiffs in the multi-district litigation brought over the pelvic mesh made by Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) subsidiary Ethicon claimed this week that a company expert admitted that Ethicon knew back in 1992 that the plastic used in its mesh degrades after implantation.
The case concerns damages reportedly caused by Ethicon’s pelvic mesh products.
Plaintiffs in the case argue that the defendant’s witness, Dr. Thomas Barbolt, admitted that Ethicon’s Prolene mesh devices undergo in vivo surface degradation, and that bound the defendants to that opinion.
The defendants in the case later hired Steven MacLean as an expert witness, according to court documents, in an “effort to undo this damaging testimony” by presenting opinions that contradict Dr. Barbolt’s earlier testimony.
Plaintiffs in the case referenced multiple issues with MacLean’s testimony, calling data he presented from a 7-year dog study and other molecular weight opinions “unreliable,” and said he is “unqualified to offer pathology opinions.”
MacLean was accused of “cherry-picking” data from various different studies and subjects to support his opinions that the Prolene device does not degrade, according to court documents.