London: The health watchdog NICE demanded a ban on vaginal mesh, recommending that the 'gold standard' implants should not be routinely offered for treating organ prolapse but instead just used for research or after patients are made aware of the risks, according to the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire show.
The verdict from NICE comes after the Government released its three-year investigation into the mesh scandal and rejected calls for a widespread ban on the implants last September.
More than 800 women are suing the NHS and the implants' manufacturers after complaining of crippling pain, according to Daily Mail.
The NHS has even been accused of sweeping such complications under the carpet in an effort to dodge media attention.
After previously denying their implants were causing women discomfort, mesh manufacturer Johnson & Johnson paid out $57 million to a sufferer from Philadelphia last month after a jury found the company to be negligent and its product defective.
Many women who have been fitted the mesh implants have complained of being in such severe agony they are unable to work, walk or have sex, with some even being on the brink of suicide.
In a series of documents about vaginal mesh implants to be published in December, NICE said that 'evidence of long-term efficacy is inadequate in quality and quantity'.
It added that 'when complications occur, these can be serious and have life-changing consequences'
Yet, NICE also said most women do not report complications after being fitted with such implants.
The health watchdog only commented on organ prolapse and not urinary incontinence or hernias, which implants are also used for.
Vaginal mesh is permanently implanted to reinforce the weakened vaginal wall for POP repair or support the urethra or bladder neck for the repair of SUI.
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