As the steadily-rising number of Yaz and Yasmin lawsuits continue to be filed, many people are wondering if there will be a settlement made in any of those cases anytime soon.
While there is no doubt that there is pressure being added to settle some of these lawsuits rather than inundate the courts with more and more lawsuits every day, an actual settlement feels like it’s a lifetime away. So far, it is unclear just how many lawsuits will continue to be filed; some are estimating that the toll can be as high as 25,000 by the time new filings finally ebb. This may seem like a huge amount, but if you consider the fact that in 2008, as much as 28 precent of the birth control market was being ruled by women taking Yaz and Yasmin, that sum is relatively small in comparison.
While U.S. District Court Judge David Herndon is already hearing a number of the cases against Yaz in what are called bellwether trials (meant to set the standard for all other Yaz lawsuits), many plaintiffs feel an actual settlement announcement still is aeons away, especially since Bayer filed a protection motion to avoid having to recall German experts to the U.S. to give more depositions in the case.
The bellwether trial process is supposed to help clear up some of the courts’ congestion with regards to these Yaz lawsuits, and the pressure continues to mount for a settlement to be reached so that the other trials can get pushed along as well. However, Bayer, the makers of various control drugs including Yaz and Yasmin, is stubbornly refusing to make it easy for the plaintiffs, even though evidence and research is mounting up against the company. Bayer continues to file motions to protect it from having to produce research and data that show that Yaz and Yasmin increases the risks of women experiencing such severe side effects as strokes, heart attacks, pulmonary embolisms and gallbladder disease.
Bayer is also defending itself against claims that the company marketed the pills for off-label purposes including that the pills help clear up acne and PMS symptoms. Bayer continues to stand by the drugs and claim that Yaz doesn’t cause any more risk of experiencing the severe side effects than any of the other birth control pills on the market. Bayer officials claim they have their own research to prove it.
