At Least 74 Yaz & Yasmin Lawsuits Filed Against Bayer

Pharmaceutical giant Bayer Healthcare currently faces at least 74 lawsuits related to its popular birth control pills Yaz and Yasmin. The lawsuits generally allege that Bayer overstated the benefits of Yaz and Yasmin and failed to adequately warn consumers about serious Yaz and Yasmin side effects.

The plaintiffs in the Yaz and Yasmin lawsuits will likely seek to use two FDA warning letters sent to Bayer to argue that misleading advertisements enticed women to take the pills, exposing them to health risks that they might not have otherwise encountered, the New York Times reports.

The first warning letter, which was issued by the FDA in October 2008, suggests that Bayer overstated the benefits of Yaz and Yasmin through two television commercials Bayer ran to promote Yaz. After negotiations with the FDA, Bayer ended up pulling the misleading ads and running new TV commercials correcting the misinformation. The new commercials began running in early 2009.

FDA sent another warning letter to Bayer in August 2009, this time regarding deviations from quality control standards at a manufacturing plant in Germany that makes hormone ingredients used in Yaz and Yasmin pills sold in the U.S. The letter said Bayer used a testing method on ingredients made at the plant that did not meet U.S. standards.

Yaz & Yasmin Side Effects

Yaz and Yasmin, like many oral contraceptives, use the hormones estrogen and progestin to prevent ovulation. Consequently, Yaz and Yasmin may cause the same serious side effects associated with other birth control pills, including heart attacks, strokes, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism.

But Yaz and Yasmin also carry some health risks not seen with other contraceptives. This is because Yaz and Yasmin use a new progestin called drospirenone. Drospirenone can increase the levels of potassium in the blood, which can lead to a disorder called hyperkalemia. This condition may result in potentially life-threatening side effects, including cardiac arrest and kidney failure.

Yaz & Yasmin Lawyers

If you or a loved one has experienced serious Yaz or Yasmin side effects, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. For more information about a Yaz lawsuit or a Yasmin lawsuit, contact an experienced Yaz or Yasmin lawyer at Bernstein Liebhard for a confidential and free case evaluation.

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