More Yaz and Yasmin Lawsuits in Time for the Holidays

Pittsburgh, PAThe manufacturer of Yasmin and Yaz birth control pills continues to defend its products in court even as the evidence builds that the drugs cause blood clots and other dangerous side effects.

Yasmin was brought to market by Bayer in 2001 after securing approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). A second contraceptive, Yaz, was approved five years later. Similar, although not identical to each other, the two products feature a host of "serious and life-threatening side effects," according to a complaint filed by a plaintiff from Columbia, Maryland last week.

So far, according to the December 17 issue of the Pittsburg Tribune Review, about 150 lawsuits have been filed across the country as recently as last week. Six of the new civil complaints seek a total of $150,000 in punitive as well as compensatory damages.

The plaintiff for the lawsuit based in Columbia began taking Yasmin in January of 2007, only to suffer serious side effects ranging from pneumonia to pulmonary embolism. A spokesperson for the FDA's Office of Surveillance and Epidemiology reported in late July that the agency had received reports of adverse effects, together with some deaths, related to the products.

Fifty deaths reported from Yaz and Yasmin

A lawsuit filed at about the same time (July 2009) claimed that between the first quarter of 2004 and the third quarter of 2008, Yaz and Yasmin were linked to more than 50 deaths filed with the FDA. Specifically, the complaint referred to a Wisconsin woman who began using the Yasmin birth control product in March 2006 and suffered a stroke four months later.

Bayer, through a spokesperson, declared that the company will "defend itself vigorously" against the allegations, noting that "the complaints we have received so far pertain to side effects that are warned about in the labeling of all contraceptives, including ours."

The lawsuits, however, allege fraud, civil conspiracy and commercial bribery. The complaints say Bayer made "false representations" that the contraceptives were "tested and found to be safe."

In 2008 the manufacturer agreed to run a $20 million corrective advertising campaign in an effort to reverse results from overstating the benefits of Yaz and downplaying its risks.