9,566 Reasons Not to Believe Yasmin Birth Control Is Safe

Washington, DCWhile Yasmin birth control manufacturer Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc. continues to maintain that risk for Yasmin blood clots is no greater than any other oral contraceptive on the market, there may be 9,566 reasons to doubt that position. That’s the number of Yasmin and Yaz lawsuits still pending in the Yasmin/Yaz Multi District Litigation.

Of the Yasmin side effects, the potential for blood clots and deep vein thrombosis (Yasmin DVT) is the most worrisome. While all oral contraceptives on the market since the 1950s carry a minute risk for blood clots, various studies have suggested that Yaz birth control pills, together with its close cousin Yasmin, carry a significantly higher risk of blood clotting associated with the synthetic hormone, drospirenone.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concurs, noting that some (but not all) studies suggest an elevated increased risk for Yaz blood clots. The regulator requested a label change to denote those risks on the product label, while following the lead of an expert panel that voted to keep Yasmin and Yaz on the market.

Yasmin and Yaz, together with Ocella and other birth control products containing drospirenone, have been heavily targeting young women, promoting a diminished basket of standard side effects traditionally associated with birth control pills not containing the synthetic hormone. Those side effects include bloating.

Yasmin and Yaz were touted as an avenue to lessen the effects of water retention, as well as having the capacity to help with facial acne and to minimize other symptoms associated with discomfort while menstruating. Marketing campaigns promoted the products as being ultra-cool, and consumers driven by that cool factor, pushed Yasmin and Yaz to become the top-selling contraceptive.

However, early in the first marketing push to introduce Yasmin and Yaz to the masses, Bayer was called out by the FDA for misstatements and downplaying risks associated with Yasmin and Yaz, and Ocella side effects.

Yaz lawsuits allege that Bayer knew, or should have known, about increased risk of Yaz blood clots, and could have done a better job of informing the public.

Among the 9,000-plus lawsuits currently in the Yasmin/Yaz MDL, is one filed by five plaintiffs December 11 of last year in Illinois Southern District Court alleging serious medical issues from use of Yasmin and Yaz. Various plaintiffs have reported strokes, Yasmin DVT and embolisms as the result of using drospirenone-based oral contraceptives.

Many of those women have been young - even teenagers, on their first contraceptives. Some have died. The case in Illinois is case no. 3:2012cv11630, according to PRWeb Newswire (4/3/13), which also reports that Bayer set aside $1.5 billion last year to settle its alleged liabilities over Yasmin and Yaz lawsuits.

No fewer than 9,566 actions currently pending in MDL 2100, US District Court, Southern District of Illinois, suggest that Bayer’s defense of Yasmin birth control and Yaz birth control pills may be suspect.