April 10, 2012 - The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) issued a press release today stating that it had completed a review of epidemiological studies regarding the risk of blood clots in women taking birth control pills containing drospirenone. Based on this analysis, the administration has determined that drospirenone-containing contraceptives may be associated with a higher risk of blood clots than products containing levonorgestrel, the active ingredient found in many older forms of birth control.
This new information comes as no surprise to plaintiff lawyers and their clients. Currently, there are approximately 10,000 Yaz and Yasmin lawsuits filed throughout the United States claiming serious side effects, including blood clots and deaths related to these types of birth control medications.
Drospirenone is a newly-developed, ‘fourth generation’ synthetic version of the female hormone progesterone. FDA is updating the warning labels of drospirenone-containing birth control pills to include information about the blood clot risk. Medications affected by the labeling change include Yaz, Yasmin, Gianvi, Ocella, Safyral and Beyaz. If you or a loved one have taken one of the aforementioned birth control drugs and subsequently suffered from an adverse event, you may consider speaking with a qualified birth control lawyer.
The updated warning labels will state that a number of studies have found as much as a three-fold increased risk of blood clots associated with drospirenone contraceptives when compared to levonorgestrel. However, the new verbiage will also stress the fact that other independently-conducted studies have found no additional risk of blood clots linked to drospirenone. The labels will also include a brief synopsis of the previously-released findings of an FDA-funded study of the blood clot risk.
The FDA is recommending that women consult their doctors about their risk for blood clots prior to initiating a drospirenone birth control regimen. Additionally, healthcare professionals have been advised to carefully weigh the potential risks and benefits of drospirenone-containing contraceptives before prescribing these medications.
To date, the Yaz and Yasmin litigation consists of more than 10,000 lawsuits that have been filed in courthouses around the country on behalf of women who have taken the drugs and allegedly suffered serious side effects. In addition to having the potential to cause blood clots, drospirenone-containing birth control pills like Yaz and Yasmin have been linked to:
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heart attacks
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strokes
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pulmonary embolisms
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deep vein thrombosis
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gallbladder problems
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sudden death
All federal litigation over Yaz and Yasmin has been consolidated into a multidistrict litigation (MDL) before Chief Judge David L. Herndon. As a result, any legal claims filed in federal district courts will be transferred to Judge Herndon in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois for pre-trial proceedings.
While Yaz and Yasmin cases in the MDL are handled in a manner similar to that of a class action lawsuit, each claim retains its status as an individual case. If the litigation does not resolve during pretrial proceedings, the individual suits will be returned to the federal district courts where they were originally filed.
Michael E. Schmidt is recognized as one of America’s most passionate, accomplished and skilled trial lawyers. His law firm, Schmidt & Clark, LLP is currently accepting birth control blood clot lawsuits and other serious injury cases related to Yaz, Yasmin, Gianvi, Ocella, Safyral and Beyaz in all 50 states. To learn more about this topic, please visit his website: http://www.schmidtandclark.com
