Yaz (Yasmin and Ocella)

What is Yaz (Yasmin and Ocella) Birth Control and What are Yaz (Yasmin and Ocella) Lawsuits About?

The Driscoll Firm, LLC, is currently investigating claims of injury to women who have taken Yaz, Yasmin or Ocella birth control pills. The Driscoll firm is dedicated to helping people injured by dangerous drugs and defective products.

Yaz, Yasmin and Ocella are widely prescribed birth control pills manufactured and sold by Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals. The oral contraceptives are taken to prevent pregnancy. Yaz (Yasmin and Ocella) is also prescribed to treat acne and severe premenstrual pain. At one time, Yaz (Yasmin and Ocella) was the leading birth control pill on the market and the top-selling drug for Bayer.

But serious side effects are associated with taking Yaz, Yasmin and Ocella, according to research studies. Across the country, thousands of lawsuits have been filed by women alleging injuries as a result taking Yaz, Yasmin, or Ocella.

Studies have reported that women who take birth control drugs such as Yaz, Yasmin or Ocella face up to three times the risk of developing blood clots as women who take other oral contraceptives. Blood clots can cause strokes, heart attacks deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolisms.

In July 2012, Bloomberg News reported that Bayer has settled more than 1,800 Yaz (Yasmin and Ocella) lawsuits alleged serious blood clot-related injuries for approximately $400 million. The average settlement was around $212,000. In fact, Bayer is compensating victims who have used Yaz, Yasmin and Ocella.

Our site contains detailed information about Yaz (Yasmin and Ocella), including:

Health Risks of Yaz (Yasmin and Ocella) Birth Control

Yaz (Yasmin and Ocella) contains the synthetic hormone drospirenone and goes by the generic names Gianvi and Loryna. Other oral contraceptives that contain drospirenone are Yasmin (generic names Ocella, Syeda and Zarah), Beyaz and Safyral.

In a widely-publicized 2011 study, The British Medical Journal found that birth control pills containing drospirenone were linked to a six-fold increase in the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), a condition where blood clots form in the lower leg or thigh. These clots can break loose and travel through the body to the lungs, causing a potentially fatal pulmonary embolism. The six-fold VTE risk to women using Yaz, Yasmin or Ocella was compared with a three-fold increase in women using older contraceptives containing the synthetic hormone levonorgestrel.

The FDA has also conducted its own research. In October 2011, the agency released a study of more than 800,000 women, titled “Combined Hormonal Contraceptives and the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Endpoints,” which found that drugs like Yaz, Yasmin or Ocella could increase the risk of blood clots, DVT and pulmonary embolism by as much as 74 percent.

In April 2012, the FDA issued a “Drug Information Update – Drug Safety Communication” that warned women taking Yaz, Yasmin or Ocella birth control pills and similar contraceptives of the risk of blood clots.

Warning signs of a blood clot include: persistent leg pain; sudden shortness of breath; sudden blindness; severe chest pain; weakness or numbness in an arm or leg; sudden, severe headaches; trouble speaking; and yellowing of the skin or eyes. The FDA has recommended that if you have any of these symptoms, you should contact your doctor immediately.

Three-Fold Increase in Risk of Blood Clots

The FDA ordered packages of Yaz (Yasmin and Ocella) to warn patients that some epidemiologic studies reported as high as a three-fold increase in the risk of blood clots for drospirenone-containing products when compared to products containing levonorgestrel or some other progestins. Some studies found no additional risk of blood clots with drospirenone-containing products.

Bayer warns on its website for Yaz that “Yaz increases the risk of serious conditions including blood clots, stroke, and heart attack. These can be life-threatening or lead to permanent disability. The risk of blood clots is highest during the first year of use.”

Bayer initially agreed to pay at least $110 million to settle the first 500 lawsuits over claims of serious VTE injuries. It has already paid out almost four times that amount to Yaz (Yasmin and Ocella) plaintiffs. Bloomberg News indicates that Bayer has added hundreds of millions of dollars to the reserve of money it has set aside to settle future Yaz lawsuits. This is good news for women injured as a result of Yaz (Yasmin and Ocella) who have yet to file a claim.

To date, there is no Yaz (Yasmin and Ocella) class action lawsuit. This means that lawsuits are being filed individually against Bayer.

Contact A Yaz (Yasmin and Ocella) Litigation Lawyer Today

Yaz (Yasmin and Ocella) lawsuits are currently being filed and settled. If you or a loved one has taken Yaz, Yasmin or Ocella as prescribed and suffered blood clots, stroke, heart attack, pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis, it is important for you to call today to speak to an experienced Yaz (Yasmin and Ocella) lawsuit attorney at 314-932-3232 about your legal rights and options. The consultation is free and confidential.

The Driscoll Firm, LLC, has represented clients injured by dangerous pharmaceuticals and medical devices for more than a decade. John J. Driscoll solely represents plaintiffs and focuses his practice on complex product liability cases, consumer class actions and personal-injury litigation.

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