At Carey, Danis & Lowe, we have recently launched a website offering information to women and families who suffered serious injuries from the Mirena intrauterine device that prevents pregnancy. A growing number of women in the United States are filing lawsuits over injuries they suffered from using Mirena, including complications that threaten the woman’s fertility or her life. We are currently asking women with this kind of complication to call us for a free, confidential consultation on their So we were interested to see a Bloomberg News report that another Mirena lawsuit has been filed in Philadelphia federal court. Plaintiff Tricia Prendergast alleges that Bayer, the manufacturer of Mirena, failed to warn her of the risks of the device. Mirena has become a common topic of discussion for pharmaceutical liability lawyers like me because of its very serious risks. In our research, the most common complaints that surfaced were about the IUD embedding in or perforating the wall of the uterus, and ectopic pregnancy. An ectopic pregnancy is a pregnancy that implants outside the uterus, usually cannot come to term and poses a strong risk of death or complications from internal bleeding. Prendergast’s lawsuit alleges that she had complications that were not specified, but required surgery to remove the device. It notes that some Mirena complications could require a hysterectomy, and says patients should have been warned that the risks outweigh the benefits of having the device inserted. Prendergast seeks compensatory damages for her health costs and injuries, as well as punitive damages against Bayer. In fact, there are so many lawsuits similar to Prendergast’s that plaintiffs’ dangerous medical device attorneys have asked the federal courts to consolidate them as multidistrict litigation in Ohio. An MDL case would not create a single class-action lawsuit, but rather put all of the lawsuits with similar complaints before the same judge, who typically hears a few cases so that the parties can decide whether and how to settle. Since Mirena was approved, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has already disciplined Bayer for making overreaching, unsubstantiated claims in its marketing, particularly that it would improve the patient’s health. In fact, the FDA wrote in its letter to Bayer, there’s evidence that the opposite is true: Mirena has side effects that can hurt the patient’s health. The FDA has received thousands of patient complaints about Mirena complications, 6 percent of which required surgery. As a defective medical device lawyer, I strongly recommend that patients who have suffered an injury or complication from Mirena get in touch with us to discuss their legal rights. When Mirena “migrates” within the uterus, it can get embedded in the uterine wall, requiring surgery. Even worse, it can cut the uterus, leading to infection, internal bleeding and puncture of other abdominal organs, sometimes leading to infertility. Emergency surgery to correct an ectopic pregnancy can also lead to infertility, because one way to correct the internal bleeding the pregnancy causes is to remove the patient’s Fallopian tube. And of course, an ectopic pregnancy almost always leads to termination. We believe patients who have suffered these serious complications have the right to justice and fair compensation through the courts. If you have been injured or needed emergency medical care because of a complication from Mirena or another medical device, don’t hesitate to call Carey, Danis & Lowe. For a free, confidential consultation, you can reach us through our website or call 1-877-678-3400. Similar blog posts: Bayer Seeks Consolidation of Mirena IUD Injury Lawsuits in New Jersey State Court More Women Switching to IUDs as Their Birth Control Method Philadelphia Lawsuit Alleges Drug Companies Failed to Warn About NuvaRing Risks
