More support for the Food and Drug Administration’s decision to require more testing for transvaginal mesh was announced on Wednesday, in a statement by a group of Ohio injury lawyers at Elk & Elk who are also investigating device’s injury claims.

Last Tuesday, the watchdog agency ordered 33 manufacturers to perform post-market safety tests after the FDA received 1,503 adverse event reports associated with the mesh used to treat pelvic organ prolapse from 2008 to 2010, five times as many as the agency received from 2005 to 2007, according to an FDA statement.

Manufacturers will have to evaluated the side effects of these devices such as mesh erosion, pain and infection and must provide sufficient data on the effectiveness of transvaginal mesh implants for treating pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence in women, the agency said.

FDA said that approximately 300,000 women underwent transvaginal mesh procedures in 2010, and many manufacturers are now lawsuits for complications involving the implantable device.

FDA had issued a safety communication alert in July warning patients of the risks associated with transvaginal surgical mesh, after the device was associated with a significantly higher rate of complications than manufacturers claimed.