A federal judge in California last week remanded a case against Bayer Corp. to state court, granting a small victory to plaintiffs in the ongoing litigation against the pharmaceutical company over its sterilization device Essure, which thousands of women say has harmed them.
In response to the ruling, Bayer, a multinational company headquartered in Germany, said it would continue to defend the availability of Essure as an option for permanent contraception for women.
Bayer attempted in mid-October to move the case from state to federal court. With last week's order, the case will now join 55 others that a California state judge in September granted a motion to coordinate for pretrial purposes.
Since its federal approval in November 2002, nearly 10,000 reports have been filed regarding the Essure implants, citing problems such as pain, irregular periods and device breakage. In California alone, more than 1,000 plaintiffs are represented in cases against Bayer over Essure.