On July 20, 2018, Bayer issued a press release announcing that, as of December 2018, Essure would no longer be sold in the United States. To many, this decision seems long overdue, particularly in light of the fact that, since September of 2017, Bayer had…

Bayer Pharmaceuticals announced on July 20, 2018, that distribution of Essure, the controversial and permanent birth control device, will wind down by the end of this year. The voluntary removal was described as numbers driven due to a sharp decline in sales. While discontinuing Essure…

One of the key responsibilities of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is to protect the public health by ensuring the safety and efficacy of pharmaceuticals and medical devices.  While it is the responsibility of a manufacturer to perform safety testing, the FDA approves a…

Since the permanent birth control device Essure went on the market in 2002, 26,000 complaints and 16,000 lawsuits have been filed against Bayer, the manufacturer of the device. As a result of the chronic and debilitating side effects (nickel poisoning, abnormal/heavy menstrual bleeding, autoimmune disorders,…

In 2002, Bayer released a permanent contraception device called Essure. The device presented women with the option of having two “soft, flexible inserts” implanted through the vagina and cervix into the fallopian tubes in a “gentle, non-surgical” procedure. Bayer promoted this approach as a drastically…