Litigation

Yaz Lawsuits

Yasmin/Yaz is the latest drug receiving scrunity from product liability lawyers.  Yasmin/Yaz have been associated with deep vein thrombosis (blood clots), pulmonary embolism, strokes, heart attacks and, as a result of these health consequences, death. Yasmin/Yaz lawsuits allege product liability, negligence and failure to warn claims against Bayer. There has been in recent months a small flurry of new medical articles have come out in the past week regarding Yasmin and Yaz. Below is a summary of what is out there. Sneak preview: it is not good news for Yaz/Yasmin or its manufacturer Bayer. Vlieg, et al. The venous thrombotic risk of oral contraceptives, effects of oestrogen dose and progestogen type: results of the MEGA case-control study, BMJ 2009;339:b2921.

• Concluded that oral birth control bills increase the risk for venous thrombosis by about five times (this is not new news). But the study also found that drospirenone-based oral contraceptives had an increased risk of 6.3 times that of non-users.
• Many women do not use the safest brands of birth control pills.
• The safest option for women (with regard to venous thrombosis) is a birth control pill that contains levonorgestrel, combined with a low dose of estrogen (again, women have lots of options).

Lidegaard, et al. Hormonal contraception and risk of venous thromboembolism: national follow-up study. BMJ 2009;339:b2890.

• Drosperinone-containing birth control pills are associated with a higher risk of venous thrombosis than contraceptives containing levonorgestrel.

Yasmin and Yaz both contain the progestin drospirenone—the dangerous one cited in the studies. As a reminder, venous thrombosis is a blood clot that forms in the vein. If the clot breaks off, it can be transported through the circulatory system to the heart or lungs (becoming an embolism). These can be fatal if not treated immediately. Bayer's comment on the studies: they haven't seen the data, and can't comment. But Bayer has to be concerned that this drug should not have been placed on the market. Bayer also does not have the "life saving product" defense that many drug companies - some quite correctly - use. Birth control pills are not saving lives and there a lots of competing drugs that are clearly safe. For more on the Yasmin/Yaz saga, visit:

• Our main Yasmin/Yaz information page
• Information for Yaz lawyers to screen potential Yaz claimsYasmin/Yaz Lawsuits Blog (Yaz lawsuits overview)
• Yasmin/Yaz MDL Motion Filed
• What is an MDL? -or- Yasmin/Yaz MDL Filed, Take 2

Full post as published by Trial Lawyer Resource Center on August 19, 2009 (boomark / email).