Despite previous concerns of harmful side effects caused by the use of Yaz and Yasmin, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals drug approval for the new birth control pill Beyaz.
Beyaz will contain a combination of ethinyl estradiol, levomefolate calcium, and drosirenone. Beyaz ingredients also include levomefolate calcium as an attempt to increase folate levels in a woman’s body. Folate is believed to decrease the risk of neural tube birth defects. Drosirenone is a new type of progestin hormone that is currently only used in Yaz, Yasmin, and its generic off-shoots. Beyaz is said to be a newer version of Yaz. Yaz and Yasmin increased in consumer popularity due largely in part to Bayer’s heavy stratetic marketing campaign of the product. More than 3,000 lawsuits have been filed by women using Yaz and Yasmin, claiming that they were not warned about the number and variety of negative side effects that using Yaz or Yasmin could impose. Plaintiffs in the suits claim to have suffered from blood clots, strokes, heart attacks, and other potentially dangerous medical conditions. Complainants involved in the suit also include surviving family members of Yaz and Yasmin users who died allegedly from complications of using the drugs. Another complaint that was included in the suit was a lack of comparative data to other available oral contraceptives that highlighted the risks of associated with using Yasmin versus the other available birth control drugs.
Federal Yaz litigation has been consolidated into a multi-district litigation. The case consolidated more than 2,000 suits, while a mass tort has been filed in New Jersey, consisting of another estimated 400 Yasmin lawsuits. A handful of complaints were also filed in the state of Pennsylvania.
Drospirenone is associated with an increase of blood potassium levels which can cause heart complications and lead to a myriad of other severe health problems. Plaintiffs of the lawsuits claim that Bayer Pharmaceuticals failed to conduct adequate and proper research of the side effects from using Yaz and Yasmin.
It is believed that Beyaz birth control will carry a number of consumer warnings about the reported side effects and the risks of blood clots, unlike its predecessors.
If you or a loved one has experienced a serious side effect or symptoms of side effects related to Yaz, Yasmin, or the generic Ocella, contact Newsome Law Firm and fill out a case evaluation form today. Our team of attorneys has experience specific to complications associated with prescription medication recalls. Not only can they give you the legal guidance you need, they can help you get the compensation you deserve.