The number of lawsuits filed against Bayer over the company’s controversial birth control pill Yaz continues to grow after another group of plaintiffs added their cases to the Illinois MDL on December 27, 2012.
In the court documents, the four new plaintiffs are accusing Bayer of making and selling defective and dangerous birth control pills like Yaz and its sister drug, Yasmin, without properly warning the public of the dangers. The women each come from different states (Utah, Kentucky, Florida and Virginia). All of the women are claiming to be suffering from various dangerous side effects of using Yaz and Yasmin, which include pulmonary embolism, DVT and gallbladder complications that eventually required gallbladder removal surgery. Other side effects linked to Yaz include strokes, heart attacks and kidney stones.
One of the main sources cited in the dangers linked to Yaz, Yasmin and the generic version Ocella is the combination of both ethinyl estradiol and drospirenone, which is a synthetic progestin. For years, Bayer maintained the safety and efficacy of Yaz use, but earlier in 2011, the company began reaching settlement agreements in about 3,500 of the lawsuits filed against it. So far, the company has paid out $750 million in settlements and that amount is still climbing. It is expected that the company will continue to negotiate settlement agreements rather than allowing these cases to reach a courtroom. This is great news for current and future plaintiffs, since it is viewed as a concession by Bayer to the dangers of the pills, regardless of their denials of liability still being made.
If you suffered from serious side effects after using Yaz, Yasmin or Ocella, you may have a case against Bayer and should contact an attorney that specializes in Yaz injuries to see what your options are. You may be entitled to compensation that could assist you with your ongoing medical costs, and perhaps help teach big pharma a lesson how to treat their customers.
