Six Yaz and Yasmin lawsuits filed in PA
Six women have filed lawsuits in Pittsburgh against the manufacturer of the birth control pills Yaz and Yasmin. The lawsuits against Bayer Corp. allege that Yaz and Yasmin are unsafe and may cause potentially fatal side effects. More than 150 Yaz or Yasmin lawsuits have been filed in the United States so far.
Yasmin, which contains the hormone drospirenone, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2001. Yaz, which also contains drospirenone, was approved by the FDA in 2006.
One of the recent lawsuits alleges that a Maryland woman developed serious side effects—including pneumonia and a pulmonary embolism—after taking Yasmin. The lawsuits also allege that Bayer falsely maintained that Yaz and Yasmin had been “tested and found to be safe.”
According to a statement by the FDA in July 2009, the agency is currently investigating Yaz and Yasmin after receiving reports of side effects and deaths linked to Yasmin. A lawsuit filed this year in Wisconsin states that the FDA has received at least 50 reports of deaths among Yaz or Yasmin patients.