Bayer Paid $2.5 Million to Essure Doctors

July 27, 2018 — Bayer paid thousands of doctors millions of dollars in fees related to Essure, a controversial birth control implant that was pulled off the market globally earlier this month.

From August 2013 through December 2017, Bayer paid 11,850 doctors $2.5 million related to Essure for consulting fees and similar services, according to an analysis by CNN.

One of the highest earners was Dr. Cindy Basinski, who was paid $168,068 from August 2013 through the end of 2017.

Christina Potts, a mother of 4 children, was convinced to choose Essure when she visited Dr. Basinski about getting her fallopian tubes tied. Potts says Dr. Basinski told her that a “tube tying” procedure wasn’t a good choice because it involved recovery from the surgery.

Potts developed headaches, joint pain, abdominal cramping and extreme fatigue about a year after she got Essure. She felt so sick that she could not care for her younger children alone. Her symptoms did not go away until she had a hysterectomy to remove Essure.

Bayer is now facing lawsuits from over 16,000 women who developed severe side effects after receiving Essure. After a 40% drop in sales, Bayer decided to stop selling Essure in the U.S. and internationally.