SYDNEY (AP) — More than 700 Australian women have joined a class-action lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson over the pharmaceutical giant's vaginal mesh implants.

Patients across the United States, United Kingdom and Canada have filed tens of thousands of lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson and other pharmaceutical companies over their pelvic mesh implants. The devices are used to repair pelvic organ prolapse, a condition in which organs shift out of place. Women who have sued the manufacturers say the mesh caused them chronic pain, infections and loss of sexual function.

The Australian class action was filed in Federal Court in Sydney on Tuesday. The lawsuit contends U.S.-based Johnson & Johnson was negligent for not properly warning doctors and patients about the risks associated with the devices.