Birth Control Pills

Update on Yaz/Yasmin Litigation

Drug giant Bayer Pharmaceuticals has announced that of over 12,000 cases alleging that its popular birth control pills Yaz and Yasmin caused blood clots and related problems, it has settled 6,700 of them for $1.4 billion.  The drug giant’s settlement stopped short of actually admitting responsibility for the fact that the pills caused deep vein…

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Intrauterine Devices Can Cause Complications

Birth control pills are not the only option for women looking for contraception.  An intrauterine device, or IUD, is a plastic, t-shaped medical device that a doctor inserts in through a woman’s vagina into a woman’s uterus. There are two types of IUDs, hormonal and copper.  The most popular of the hormonal IUDs is Mirena,…

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Yaz Lawsuits

  Beginning in 2009, Bayer has faced a wave of litigation of Yaz and Yasmin.  While many claims have been made with regard to various health problems, our firm is looking specifically at cases regarding Yaz and deep vein thrombosis/pulmonary embolism.  These cases allege that Bayer knew or should have known of the risks of…

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What is Venous Thromboembolism?

  Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is an umbrella term that includes deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE).  VTE refers to the situation in which a blood clot forms in a vein.  A blood clot occurs whenever the blood thickens and clumps together. Deep vein thrombosis is when a blood clot forms in a deep…

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What is the Difference between Yaz and Yasmin?

Both Yaz and Yasmin are produced by Bayer Healthcare and contain the same active ingredients, but they contain them in different proportions.  Yasmin contains more ethinyl estradiol (30 mcg), while Yaz contains only 20 mcg. The number of active pills in each cycle differs between these two drugs as well.  Yasmin has 21 active pills…

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PMDD vs. PMS: What is the Difference?

Yaz has been approved by the FDA to treat premenstrual dysphoric disorder.  In its initial advertisements however, Bayer implied that Yaz could be used to treat the far less serious symptoms of PMS (pre-menstrual symptoms) as well.  A warning letter from the FDA was issued, forcing Bayer to change their ads. So what exactly is…

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Yaz and the FDA: A Timeline of Problems

Yaz, approved over a decade ago, has a long history of warnings and problems with the Food and Drug Administration.  The following is a summary of the issues that Bayer has had to address with regard to advertising and safety. 2001:  The FDA approves Yaz as an oral contraceptive 2003:  The FDA found that Yasmin…

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Bayer Uses Advertising to turn Yaz into a Blockbuster Drug

With most women suffering emotional side effects from their menstrual cycles, Bayer saw the opportunity to capitalize on this significant market.  If they could create a birth control pill that also addressed PMS problems, such a pill would surely be a hit. They got close, but failed.  Bayer failed to produce any science to support…

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