As Some Yaz Lawsuits Are Settled, More Are Filed

Los Angeles, CAJust a short while after reports surfaced that Bayer had settled some Yasmin and Yaz lawsuits come indications that more Yasmin side effects and Yaz side effects lawsuits have been filed.

In April 2012, Bloomberg reported that Bayer, maker of Yasmin and Yaz birth control, would pay at least $110 million to settle 500 lawsuits alleging Yasmin caused life-threatening blood clots. That settlement worked out to an average of $220,000 per lawsuit, although more than 11,000 lawsuits have reportedly been filed. Those 11,000 lawsuits involve claims about blood clots and gallbladder problems in women who used the birth control.

Then, on July 31, 2012, Bloomberg reported that settlements involving Yasmin were increased to more than $402 million. At the time, Bloomberg noted that Bayer had resolved approximately 1,900 lawsuits involving both Yaz and Yasmin. While the figure for settling Yasmin lawsuits increased, Bayer also reportedly doubled its reserve for Yaz lawsuits.

On April 10, 2012, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ordered Bayer and the makers of other birth control pills to increase the warnings on their products, highlighting the risks of blood clots.

Birth control products that contain drospirenone have been linked to an increased risk of blood blots, including venous thromboembolism and deep vein thrombosis, and gallbladder disease. Drospirenone is a synthetic version of progesterone, a female hormone that is sometimes called progestin. An FDA review led the agency to conclude that birth control pills containing drospirenone may be associated with an increased risk of blood clots when compared with other progestin-containing contraceptives.

According to the FDA, the risk associated with drospirenone-containing birth control was up to three times higher than other pills. When the FDA made its announcement, it noted that the risk of blood clots is already higher when using any birth control pills than when not using them, but was still lower than the risk of developing blood clots during pregnancy or postpartum.

Meanwhile, more lawsuits have reportedly been filed against Bayer alleging women who used Yasmin or Yaz suffered serious injury. Plaintiffs allege that Bayer knew or should have known that the use of certain birth control increased the risk of heart attacks and deep vein thrombosis.