Birth Control Prescription Drug Side Effects/Yaz and Yasmine

It is fair to say that 99% of sexually active women are concerned about birth control. Many women are prescribed birth control pills by a doctor. Some birth control pills are known to clear up acne and ease some aggravating symptoms related to a woman’s period.

It is well-known that oral contraceptives may slightly increase the chance of developing blood clots in the legs and lungs. Yaz is a newer generation of oral contraceptives that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said poses a greater risk than similar types of birth control for causing blood clots and even massive pulmonary embolisms. The side effects for taking Yaz have been documented to be from mild to devastating and even death in some cases because of blood clotting.

Yaz and other contraceptives containing the hormone Drospirenome have resulted in a flood of litigation because of deaths, strokes, pulmonary embolisms, gallbladder disease, elevated potassium levels and other health problems. Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals is the leading manufacturer of Yaz and other oral contraceptives.

Because of the serious complications caused by the use of Yaz, Yasmine and other oral contraceptives, lawsuits have been filed around the country. Bayer, who is the leading manufacturer of these drugs, has settled the claims of 6,760 U.S. plaintiffs for a total of $1.4 billion.

New and additional lawsuits are being filed around the country. Critics of the Yaz and Yasmine oral contraceptives have urged the FDA to recall drugs that contain Drospirenome, maintaining that safer and equally effective substitutes are available in the marketplace.

Many women proclaim that since a doctor prescribes the birth control pill, that they must be safe. But any medicine has risks. In this case, Yaz and Yasmine have been known to produce a much greater risk of blood clots that can cause serious injury or death to women taking birth control pills containing Drospirenome.

Some women’s health groups have advocated for stronger warnings. An advocacy group known as Public Citizen has placed drugs containing Drospirenome which include Yaz, Yasmine, Gianvi and Zarah on its “do not use” list because they can cause increased levels of potassium and may be associated with blood clots that cause serious health problems to women taking these prescription pills.

Oral contraceptives remain the most popular form of birth control in the United States. Oral contraceptives are important because they alter a woman’s hormone levels. Most of the birth control pills contain a combination of hormones, estrogen and progestin to stop ovulation. Estrogen also can play a role in blood clotting. Increased levels of the estrogen hormone by taking oral contraceptives can increase the risk of stroke and blood clots. On the other hand, it is also known that the use of birth control pills has the health benefit of decreasing ovarian and uterine cancer frequency.

Bayer’s Yasmine was the first birth control pill Drospirenome introduced in 2001. Yaz was a reformulated version of Yasmine that was approved for use in 2006. It was first identified as a drug that may reduce mild acne and a severe type of mood disorder in women who also wanted birth control.

In 2008, Yaz became newsworthy because the FDA warned Bayer that its advertising was misleading. Since then, the sales of Yaz have plummeted. In fact, it was reported that the sales dropped by about 60% by 2010. A generic version of Yaz is called Gianvi and is manufactured by Bayer and sold by Teva Pharmaceuticals. Gianvi was the #4 selling oral contraceptive in the United States in 2012.

As of July 2013, there were more than 5,400 injury claims that were pending relating to Yasmine, Yaz or the generic versions of the drugs, Oscella and Gianvi. Recently, Bayer has been settling lawsuits only for the blood clot injuries on a case-by-case analysis of medical records. There remain 2,800 unsettled claims that involve blood clot allegations.

In addition to blood clot problems, Bayer also has received claims associated with gallbladder injuries from the taking of its oral contraceptives Yaz, Yasmine, Gianvi and Oscella. About 8,800 U.S. plaintiffs have agreed to participate in the gallbladder injury cases.

If you or someone you know have been injured or died as a result of taking Yaz, Yasmine, Gianvi, Oscella or some other oral contraceptive pill, please call us for an immediate free consultation.

Robert Kreisman of Kreisman Law Offices has been handling lawsuits related to injury to women who have been taking the birth control products Yaz, Yasmine, Gianvi, Oscella and other brands. Kreisman Law Offices has been handling pharmaceutical injury cases for more than 40 years.

Kreisman Law Offices provides the best possible service to our clients and have achieved unsurpassed results in settlements and jury verdicts. Our services are unmatched. Please call us 24 hours a day at 312.346.0045 or toll free 800.583.8002 for a free and immediate consultation, or complete a contact form online.