Bayer to stop sales of Essure birth control implants tied to injuries

WASHINGTON (KGO) -- New developments involving a controversial birth control implant that's prompted lawsuits from thousands of women.

Pharmaceutical giant Bayer says it will stop selling its permanent contraceptive implant Essure in the United States.

RELATED: Protesters at Moscone Center demand Essure be taken off the market

This has been an ongoing issue for years. Here you see dozens of women protesting in front of the Moscone Center in San Francisco in 2015 to demand Essure be taken off the market.

The Food and Drug Administration has placed multiple restrictions on the device following patient reports of pain, bleeding, allergic reactions and cases where the implant punctured the uterus or shifted out of place.

RELATED: Some patients raise concerns about birth control device

In May, the FDA said doctors must show women a checklist of the device's risks before implanting it.

Bayer says the safety of its controversial implant has not changed, but it will stop selling the device at the end of the year because of weak sales. Last year, Bayer stopped selling the device in Europe.

More than 16,000 U.S. women are suing Bayer over Essure.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.