Dr. Duane Priddy Comments on Gynecological Polypropylene Mesh Investigation
More than 100,000 women are suing surgically implanted gynecological
mesh manufacturers like Boston Scientific in what is believed to be the
largest multi-district litigation since asbestos. CBS News recently
covered the story in a 60 Minutes special.
The mesh in question is made of polypropylene, a common plastic material used in packaging. 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley interviewed Dr. Duane Priddy, CEO of Plastic Expert Group and widely considered to be one of the leading experts on plastic technologies in the world, about the recommended use of polypropylene.
Oxidatively Unstable Plastic
Dr. Duane Priddy said:
“I can't, in my wildest imagination, imagine anybody that's knowledgeable in the science of plastics ever deciding that it was appropriate to use polypropylene in the human body. It's well known that it’s oxidatively unstable.FDA Clearance for “Marlex” PP Brand Only:Boston Scientific had clearance from the FDA to use a brand of polypropylene called “Marlex” made in Texas by a subsidiary of Chevron Phillips. But when concerns about the medical use of polypropylene caused Boston Scientific’s supply of the plastic to run dry, court documents show that they circumvented this shortage by smuggling in counterfeit material from a Chinese supplier.
CBS News hired Dr. Priddy as an independent consultant to analyze Boston Scientific's own internal test results of the Chinese plastic that was obtained in court documents.
“I would predict a significant difference in the antioxidant stability, or I should say the oxidation resistance of those products in the human body.”
When asked by Pelley how long the Chinese plastic could be expected to last inside the human body, he replied “just a few months.”
Lawsuits Against Boston Scientific
So far, Boston Scientific alone has attracted 48,000 lawsuits which claim that its gynecological mesh can inflict life-altering pain and injury.
The mesh in question is made of polypropylene, a common plastic material used in packaging. 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley interviewed Dr. Duane Priddy, CEO of Plastic Expert Group and widely considered to be one of the leading experts on plastic technologies in the world, about the recommended use of polypropylene.
Oxidatively Unstable Plastic
Dr. Duane Priddy said:
“I can't, in my wildest imagination, imagine anybody that's knowledgeable in the science of plastics ever deciding that it was appropriate to use polypropylene in the human body. It's well known that it’s oxidatively unstable.FDA Clearance for “Marlex” PP Brand Only:Boston Scientific had clearance from the FDA to use a brand of polypropylene called “Marlex” made in Texas by a subsidiary of Chevron Phillips. But when concerns about the medical use of polypropylene caused Boston Scientific’s supply of the plastic to run dry, court documents show that they circumvented this shortage by smuggling in counterfeit material from a Chinese supplier.
CBS News hired Dr. Priddy as an independent consultant to analyze Boston Scientific's own internal test results of the Chinese plastic that was obtained in court documents.
“I would predict a significant difference in the antioxidant stability, or I should say the oxidation resistance of those products in the human body.”
When asked by Pelley how long the Chinese plastic could be expected to last inside the human body, he replied “just a few months.”
Lawsuits Against Boston Scientific
So far, Boston Scientific alone has attracted 48,000 lawsuits which claim that its gynecological mesh can inflict life-altering pain and injury.
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