Media Takes Notice of Mirena Side Effects

Phoenix, AZNews about Mirena side effects is being picked up by the media, which is now conducting its own investigations into the risk of Mirena birth control side effects. Among the reported concerns regarding the birth control device is the risk of Mirena uterine perforation.

ABC15 (5/21/13) reports on at least one woman who suffered uterine perforation and the device moving into her abdomen, requiring surgery for removal. In fact, according to the ABC report, almost 60,000 complaints regarding Mirena have been received by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) since 2004. Many of those reports are of common side effects that do not require surgery, but some include the intrauterine device migrating from the point of implantation. ABC15 reports that has happened in more than 12,000 cases. Meanwhile, uterine perforation has been reported in more than 1,300 cases.

Lawsuits have been filed against Bayer, the maker of Mirena, with the litigation process in its early stages. Bayer has responded to ABC saying it stands behind its product.

Approximately 50 lawsuits have been consolidated in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, before US District Judge Cathy Seibel. Those lawsuits allege Bayer did not adequately warn that Mirena could perforate the uterus. According to Thomson Reuters (5/20/13), at the first status conference, Judge Seibel encouraged the male lawyers asking to run the plaintiff’s committee for the multidistrict litigation to include women on the committee. But the plaintiff’s lawyers said they had reached a consensus in backing an all-male executive committee.

Along with the federal lawsuits, Bayer faces approximately 110 lawsuits in New Jersey and other cases in various states. Lawsuits have also been filed in Canada, with one plaintiff requesting class-action status in her lawsuit against Bayer. According to Herald Business (4/24/13), the plaintiff had Mirena implanted but was told approximately two years later she was pregnant. An ultrasound showed the IUD had perforated her uterus and moved into her cervix.

In addition to the unexpected pregnancy, the plaintiff says she is in a lot of pain from the IUD.

The federal MDL is In re Mirena IUD Products Liability Litigation, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, No. 13-2434.