Caldera Medical buys TVT Mesh: a new chapter in an ongoing global scandal
At Sling the Mesh we watch with interest following the recent announcement that Caldera Medical has acquired the notorious TVT mesh sling range from Johnson & Johnson’s Ethicon division.
These products were suspended in the UK in 2018 after the government accepted the product had caused severe complications and made the announcement to avoid further risk of life changing and life threatening harm to women.
Health authorities in New Zealand, Australia, Ireland and Dubai followed suit, recognising the severe and irreversible damage caused by these polypropylene slings used to treat stress urinary incontinence (SUI).
And now, with enthusiasm, Caldera is “thrilled” to be taking over this product line.
“Our mission remains clear: to improve the quality of life for women globally.”
This move – and the subsequent marketing enthusiasm – is now seeing these devices implanted into the bodies of women in either lower-income countries and / or in regions where women probably can’t speak English to see any media coverage of the mesh scandal, are less likely to have access to fully informed consent, independent media, or legal recourse.
The Caldera Linked In post and webpage About Us section is cloaked in glossy, feel-good language about “empowering women” and “deserving patients.” But behind the rhetoric lies the same old mesh, manufactured in the same facilities, using the same materials, by the same team. It’s a legacy being rebranded for a new wave of women who likely won’t have the benefit of knowing the history, or the full scope of the risks.
Is this progress?
Caldera Medical has a “humanitarian mission”, which aims to treat “one million underserved women” by 2027. As more cynical patient safety campaigners we see it as a global marketing strategy. While women internationally continue to suffer the long-term consequences of these implants – nerve damage, chronic pain, organ removal, autoimmune disorders, disability and even death.
“We foster strong partnerships with surgeons.”
Translation: we ensure a steady supply chain for surgeons incentivised / encouraged with the benefits of being a key opinion leader to keep implanting mesh.
We demand transparency, accountability, and justice
To governments, regulators, and health ministries: beware of Trojan Horse humanitarianism. If bladder mesh slings were deemed too dangerous for women in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Dubai, it is too dangerous for ALL women everywhere.
To Caldera Medical: you may have bought the brand, but you also bought its baggage. And we will not let you whitewash its history.
To the public: don’t be fooled by corporate spin. Stay informed. Share this story. Speak out.
We fought to get mesh suspended in the UK. Now we must fight to prevent it from being heavily pushed into the rest of the world.
