A 34 year-old Idaho woman that was diagnosed with a severe pulmonary embolism after using the Ortho Evra birth control patch filed a lawsuit against the drugs manufacturer Ortho Mc-Neil Pharmaceutical, Inc. The woman used Ortho Evra for less than two years according to a press release issued today by the woman’s law firm Parker & Waichman, LLP.
The woman suffered a large pulmonary embolus in her right upper lobe involving a secondary order vessel that extended into two third order vessels. The woman was hospitalized for six days and may be require the use of anticoagulant medications for the rest of her life. The case is the most recent suit by women who claim the birth control patch caused serious life threatening injuries. Numerous suits have already been filed against the Ortho-McNeil, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, that allege Ortho Evra caused pulmonary embolism, deep venous thrombosis, stroke, heart attack and death.
This suits follow a warning issued by the drug manufacturer on November 10, 2005, about the increased risks of blood clots associated with Ortho Evra. In this warning, Ortho-McNeil said that women who use the patch are exposed to up to 60% more estrogen than they would be exposed to if they were taking most birth control pills. It is widely believed that increased exposure to estrogen greatly increases the risk of blood clots, which can cause serious injury or death.
Ortho Evra is an adhesive, transdermal birth control patch that users are instructed to apply to their upper torso, upper outer arm, buttock or abdomen. The patch is intended to release 150 mcg of norelgestromin and 20 mcg of ethinyl estradiol into the bloodstream per 24 hours. It is replaced once a week for three weeks, and no patch is worn during the fourth week during menstruation. The regimen is then repeated. Ortho Evra was approved by the FDA in November 2001, and over 4 million women have used Ortho Evra since its approval. Ortho Evra continues to be marketed aggressively to both consumers and physicians.
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