Yasmin and Yaz a Bitter Pill to Swallow

Los Angeles, CAYasmin birth control, is the top-selling contraceptive pill in the US, generating about $1.8 billion in revenue for Bayer AG last year, according to Cardiovascular Week (CW). However, the Yasmin pills, together with their close cousin Yaz, possess serious side effects, and Bayer is alleged to have marketed the products improperly.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned the manufacturer on at least three occasions to stop airing misleading television ads that overstated the efficiency of Yaz and Yasmin. The advertisements were also said to minimize the serious risks associated with the product.

More than 100 women have filed lawsuits against Bayer, claiming that Yasmin caused them to suffer strokes, blood clots, gallbladder disease and other serious injuries.

Some women and young girls have died.

According to the November 23 issue of CW, the Yaz and Yasmin brand of oral contraceptive is manufactured with the progestin 'drospirenone,' which can potentially elevate potassium levels and lead to hyperkalemia, potentially serious heart problems and overall health issues.

Lawsuits against Yaz and Yasmin, which were consolidated for pre-trial proceedings at the beginning of October, allege that Bayer achieved top sales and an envious market share by promoting Yaz and Yasmin as something more than mere birth control pills??"as treatments for premenstrual dysphoric disorder, premenstrual syndrome and moderate acne, while minimizing the substantial risks associated with the product.

"I woke up and I couldn't breathe. The pain was unimaginable. I can't even describe it."

Christine Navarro, 22, was taking Yaz birth control when one night "it felt like someone was squishing my lung, and pushing on the entire left side of my body," she told KTLA Los Angeles.

Robyn Dunn, a 31-year-old marathoner and a user of Yasmin, has a similar story. "I was having a lot of anxiety, out of breath, and I knew something was wrong, and that I should stop that race. And I've never dropped out of any race in my entire life."

Robyn and Christine were rushed to the hospital with life-threatening blood clots. Both women blame the birth control for their brushes with death.

Bayer issued the following statement to KTLA: "Patient safety is Bayer's top priority. Bayer's oral contraceptives have been and continue to be extensively studied and tested worldwide... Bayer reaffirms and stands behind the safety of its drospirenone-containing oral contraceptives."