Yaz Lawsuits Claim Birth Control Pill Caused Blood Clots, Strokes
Date Published: Thursday, July 23rd, 2009
Lawsuits are being filed a around the country by women who say they suffered serious side effects from the contraceptive pill Yaz. The women involved in these lawsuits claim they experienced serious blood clots, including deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, as well as strokes. Yaz has also allegedly been associated with heart attacks and deaths in young women.
The Yaz lawsuits allege Bayer overstated the benefits of Yaz and failed to warn that it could put women at risk of serious injury. It is expected that many other alleged Yaz victims are poised to file additional lawsuits.
Yaz was approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) as an oral contraceptive in March 2006, and as a treatment for the emotional and physical symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) in October 2006. Finally, in January 2007, Yaz was approved to treat moderate acne in women who desire an oral contraceptive for birth control.
Yaz contains a synthetic type of progestin called drospirenone. According to the FDA, drospirenone can lead to hyperkalemia, a condition caused by excessive amounts of potassium in the blood, in high risk patients. This condition may result in potentially serious heart and health problems.
Because of this risk, women with conditions that predispose them to hyperkalemia (such as renal insufficiency, hepatic dysfunction and adrenal insufficiency) should not take YAZ. Women taking YAZ must also be concerned about the drug interactions that could increase potassium.
As we have reported previously, in October 2008, the FDA cited two Yaz commercials for deceptive claims. In a warning letter, the FDA faulted Bayer for overstating the benefits of Yaz. The FDA also criticized the ads for containing fast-moving images and background music that might be distracting to viewers. These elements were aired while information about potential Yaz side effects – including potentially life-threatening blood clots – was described. The FDA warning letter said the television commercials minimized the risks posed by Yaz.
Bayer ended up pulling the misleading ads. It also reached an agreement with the FDA and 27 state attorneys general to run new TV spots correcting the misinformation from the pulled commercials. They began running in early 2009.
This entry was posted
on Thursday, July 23rd, 2009 at 10:13 am and is filed under Pharmaceuticals.
Yaz Lawsuits Claim Birth Control Pill Caused Blood Clots, Strokes
Date Published: Thursday, July 23rd, 2009
Lawsuits are being filed a around the country by women who say they suffered serious side effects from the contraceptive pill Yaz. The women involved in these lawsuits claim they experienced serious blood clots, including deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, as well as strokes. Yaz has also allegedly been associated with heart attacks and deaths in young women.
The Yaz lawsuits allege Bayer overstated the benefits of Yaz and failed to warn that it could put women at risk of serious injury. It is expected that many other alleged Yaz victims are poised to file additional lawsuits.
Yaz was approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) as an oral contraceptive in March 2006, and as a treatment for the emotional and physical symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) in October 2006. Finally, in January 2007, Yaz was approved to treat moderate acne in women who desire an oral contraceptive for birth control.
Yaz contains a synthetic type of progestin called drospirenone. According to the FDA, drospirenone can lead to hyperkalemia, a condition caused by excessive amounts of potassium in the blood, in high risk patients. This condition may result in potentially serious heart and health problems.
Because of this risk, women with conditions that predispose them to hyperkalemia (such as renal insufficiency, hepatic dysfunction and adrenal insufficiency) should not take YAZ. Women taking YAZ must also be concerned about the drug interactions that could increase potassium.
As we have reported previously, in October 2008, the FDA cited two Yaz commercials for deceptive claims. In a warning letter, the FDA faulted Bayer for overstating the benefits of Yaz. The FDA also criticized the ads for containing fast-moving images and background music that might be distracting to viewers. These elements were aired while information about potential Yaz side effects – including potentially life-threatening blood clots – was described. The FDA warning letter said the television commercials minimized the risks posed by Yaz.
Bayer ended up pulling the misleading ads. It also reached an agreement with the FDA and 27 state attorneys general to run new TV spots correcting the misinformation from the pulled commercials. They began running in early 2009.
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This entry was posted
on Thursday, July 23rd, 2009 at 10:13 am and is filed under Pharmaceuticals.
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November 8th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
I am so tired of hearing about people filing lawsuits anytime anything goes wrong. You want to talk about the rising cost of healthcare…this is the main cause. You can’t go to the ER with a headache and not get a CT scan of your brain, because God forbid the doctor misses the 1:1million chance that you have a brain tumor. But, if you develop cancer 2 years later, then you can file a lawsuit because it was probably due to the radiation from the CT scan. People, it is YOUR responsibility to know about the medications you take!!! How dare you go to a doctor, request a medication, go to the pharmacy and get it, take it, and then try and blame someone else when you have a side effect or other adverse reaction. Pharmacies are required by law to give information sheets on the drugs they fill. Whether you choose to read it and educate yourself is your decision. If you choose not to read the given information, which clearly mentions the risks of blood clots and stroke (these chances are much greater in people who are overweight or who smoke), don’t blame the drug company because you didn’t know. It is your responsibility to know. If you don’t understand something, ask your doctor or pharmacist. But for God’s sake, stop acting like someone held you down and shoved the pill down your throat. By the way, I’ve taken Yaz for years. I chose to take it, I know all about it and every other medicine I take. If I am unfortunate enough to have a serious complication from any of my medications, I will NOT be filing a lawsuit for something of which I was partially responsible.