NICE recommends restricting vaginal mesh to research only

The UK health watchdog NICE has recommended that vaginal mesh products be banned from treating prolapse due to safety concerns.

NICE’s latest guidance comes after months of testimonials from women who have experienced life changing symptoms because of procedures involving mesh products.

The implants are made from polypropylene and are used to treat pelvic organ prolapse and incontinence following childbirth. Legal action has been taken against device manufacturers such as Johnson & Johnson and the NHS for using them for treatment.  

The latest recommendations from NICE are based on a lack of long-term evidence into the efficacy of the products. The organisation therefore recommends that the use of vaginal mesh products is restricted to research purposes only.

The announcement is a small victory for the high number of women suffering from complications due to the products. Earlier this year an inquiry into the use of mesh devices was rejected by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health, Jackie Doyle-Price. Doyle-Price stated that the issue with mesh products was related to clinical practice and not the devices.

Kath Samson, leader of the campaign group Sling the Mesh, spoke about the effects of mesh implants. Samson said: “Mesh implants are the only operation done blind, using large hooks to put in plastic that can then shrink, twist or degrade inside the body. But nobody has explored that. When mesh goes wrong it is a personal tragedy for the woman and her family. There are black holes in data collection so nobody knows how many are suffering. Until there is a national register, nobody has a clue of how great this scandal is.”

Christian Beadell, is a senior solicitor at Fletchers Solicitors, a UK medical negligence law firm, and has has been dealing with many claims against meshes.

Beadell said: “Uncertainty over the outcome of these types of procedures is an important factor that patients are often not being made aware of. Whilst there is a desire to not inhibit novel or innovative procedures, patient autonomy is paramount. A move to reclassify these procedures as “research” sends a clear message that certain mesh use must be seen as experimental and that the relative pros and cons may be indeterminable at this stage.

“The current NICE guidance for the use of mesh in pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence procedures as a whole is currently under review and a decision is not expected until 2019. But today’s decision does suggest that a ban on the use of mesh in pelvic organ prolapse is on the horizon.

“There is a strong desire to recognise the significant degree of suffering experienced by women who have had mesh implanted in gyanecological and urogynaecologiscal procedures. However, this needs to be balanced against the many reports of positive outcomes and the need to ensure that effective and (crucially) safe treatments are preserved.”