Yaz Lawsuits -- Settlements Estimated to Be Into the Billions

By Andrea Gressman

 

Yaz lawsuits are likely to remain an expensive line item expense for Bayer. The company, which makes Yaz birth control and the related Yasmin birth control, has estimated that the total costs of settlements related to lawsuits over blood clot injuries could be as much as $1.2 billion.

The primary claim of Yaz lawsuits is that Bayer did not do enough to communicate the potential risks of Yaz birth control to its patients. Marketing materials focused on lifestyle benefits rather than highlighting the serious health risks of taking the medication. However, in 2009, women began to come forward with claims that taking Yaz birth control was causing them to have significant health challenges related to blood clots and even strokes.

What Causes Yaz Side Effects?

Bayer is in a unique position for liability when it comes to hormone related birth control side effects. Yaz lawsuits hinge on the fact that the birth control contains a unique synthetic hormone. This hormone, drospirenone, is not found in other common birth control pills, making related side effects more definitively tied to the use of Yasmin and Yaz.

Women using Yaz birth control can suffer serious side effects, including:

* Blood clots
* Strokes
* Heart attack
* Pulmonary embolism
* Deep vein thrombosis

These Yaz side effects may take the form of obvious life-threatening events, such as deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, or may be the more subtle arterial blood clots. Arterial blood clots carry larger long-term risks for patients but may not be immediately evident as a side effect.

Large Number of Yaz Lawsuits Filed

The popularity of Yasmin and Yaz is another issue for Bayer in terms of the number of potential lawsuits it faces over blood clot injuries. Bayer was not treating a small market, but rather hundreds of thousands of patients. As a result, Bayer's second quarter 2012 newsletter noted that there were more than 12,325 Yasmin/Yaz lawsuits underway, with the potential for more to be filed.

In response to the large number of complaints about Yaz birth control, the FDA determined in December 2011 that warning labels on both Yaz and Yasmin needed to be strengthened. The agency also stated that new studies are needed to adequately re-assess the dangers of blood clots for patients who are taking hormonal birth control. However, there is no fixed start date for these follow-up studies to specifically address blood clot risks, and Bayer continues to market both Yaz and Yasmin birth control products to women.

Millions Paid in Yaz Settlements to Date

As of July 19, 2012, Bayer has already paid out more than $402 million in Yasmin/Yaz lawsuit settlements. These settlements represent 1,877 lawsuits, or just over 10% of all the cases that have been filed against Bayer. Yet only one-third of the total estimate settlement funds -- $1.2 billion – have been distributed, making it unclear how Bayer intends to distribute settlement funds for the 90% of Yasmin/Yaz lawsuits still working their way through the courts.

If you or a loved one has suffered a blood clot or other side effect from Yaz birth control, time is of the essence. Don't wait to contact a Yaz lawyer about your situation. Visit the Yaz/Yasmin, Beyaz & Ocella Birth Control Pill Class Action Lawsuit and Investigation to see what settlement you may be entitled to as a result of your experiences now.

 

Updated August 24th, 2012

All medical device, dangerous drug and medical class action and lawsuit news updates are listed in the Drug and Medical Device section of Top Class Actions.

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