MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Erin Brockovich, the activist made famous by Julia Roberts’ portrayal in a 2000 blockbuster film, is taking on healthcare giant Bayer (PINK:BAYRY), saying the company’s Essure birth control device has harmed women.
Essure is a permanent form of birth control, comprised of flexible inserts that are implanted in the fallopian tubes where scar tissue forms around them to prevent fertilization. The procedure is incision-free, is done on an outpatient basis and takes all of 10 minutes to perform, according to Bayer’s online materials.
Brockovich said her organization has been inundated with hundreds of inquiries from women who claim Essure left them with injuries and chronic pain, including colon perforations caused by movement of the device, implants that have been lost and are no longer visible on scans, pregnancies despite the presence of the implants and debilitating headaches, according to Brockovich’s website.
Brockovich wants the device taken off shelves and for Bayer to launch a complete investigation into patient injury claims, she told ABC News.
Essure is part of the product portfolio that Bayer acquired in the $1.1 billion buyout of Conceptus (NSDQ:CPTS), which the companies announced earlier this year. Conceptus won FDA approval for Essure in 2002.
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