While it is common knowledge at this point that Bayer’s controversial oral contraceptive Yaz can cause deadly side effects among its users, it may not be as well known that the pill’s combination of drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol may also cause a hormonal imbalance that can make them more susceptible to blood clots.
These potentially life threatening blood clots are just the tip of the iceberg as far as Yaz side effects are concerned. The blood clots can lead to other deadly conditions, as well. Some of those conditions include heart attacks, strokes, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolisms. Despite the studies that can verify this, Bayer stands behind its birth control formula and maintains that the pills aren’t any more dangerous than those that do not contain drospirenone.
Thousands of women have been forced to file lawsuits against Bayer after suffering from various side effects like those mentioned above. While the FDA has conducted research on the dangers of taking Yaz and its sister pill, Yasmin, the regulators refuse to withdraw the pills from the market. Of the lawsuits filed, all of the plaintiffs are suing amid claims that Bayer either hid the dangers of Yaz from the public or that the company didn’t properly warn the public about the dangers linked to Yaz.
Some plaintiffs are even claiming that the company’s huge marketing campaign was intentionally misleading. When Yaz was first marketed to the public, Bayer claimed in its ad campaigns that the pill could cure acne and PMS as well as prevent unwanted pregnancies. At the time, the drug wasn’t approved to treat acne or PMS and it was considered an off-label use. While the ad campaigns have since been changed to make special mention of the dangers associated with the drug, many feel that this is too little, too late — especially since the change was forced by the FDA.
