New studies find Yaz three times more likely to cause fatal blood clots, while reported deaths near 200
Yaz birth control is three times more likely to cause fatal blood clots than older, oral contraceptives, according to new studies published last week by the British Medical Journal.
The news comes as no surprise. It’s more of a confirmation of what more than 6,800 lawsuits against Bayer HealthCare have alleged since the company first released Yaz birth control in 2006.
Bayer touted Yaz and, its earlier sister contraceptive Yasmin as the first contraceptives for multiple purposes. Yaz and Yasmine supposedly went “beyond other birth control” brands by not only treating lighter periods, a benefit associated with most contraceptives, but also providing relief for PMS.
In Yaz’s first television commercial, color balloons floated across the screen. Each labeled with a symptom Bayer promised Yaz would solve: moodiness, irritably, feeling anxious, increased appetite, bloating, fatigue, headaches, muscle aches, acne.
The claims were false, and the FDA made Bayer air a retraction ad. Yaz, however, still became the best-selling birth control in the United States with sales surging to $800 million within a year. As sales of Yaz and Yasmin grew, more serious reports than false advertising surfaced: Yaz could be fatal.
As of mid-April, Swiss media sources report that nearly 200 women have died while taking Yaz and Yasmin. This Friday, victims of contraceptive pills and the families of women who have died while taking birth control will speak at Bayer’s shareholder meeting where shareholders are expected to condemn the company’s marketing of both brands, according to media reports.
Philipp Mimkes, of the Germany-based group called Coalition against Bayer Dangers, commented about the victims’ visit to Bayer in a press release: “It is outrageous that new contraceptives are more dangerous than old ones, just to increase sales with promises such as ‘weight loss’ and ‘effective against acne.’ This has led to avoidable harm to human health and even to deaths. The BAYER Board of Management holds responsibility for this.”
As one of the firms handling the national cases against Bayer, Simmons Hanly Conroy and its experienced pharmaceutical attorneys are in a position to help United States victims of contraceptives.
