Woman Blames Birth Control Pill Yaz/Yasmin for Deadly Blood Clot

A Texas woman is suing the makers of the birth control pills Yaz and Yasmin, accusing the products of causing a blood clot that resulted in the death of her unborn baby.

Candice Richardson filed her lawsuit against Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Bayer Healthcare LLC on Sept. 18 in the Eastern District of Texas, according to a report today in the Southeast Texas Record. She accuses the companies of misrepresenting the benefits of the popular contraceptives and hiding the risks of serious side effects.

Yaz/Yasmin Linked to Deaths, Serious Injuries

The use of Yaz and the related birth-control drug Yasmin has been associated with severe injuries in some users. Commonly seen injuries include increased risks of heart attack, stroke, blood clots, and gallbladder disease.

Both Yaz and Yasmin use the same type of hormone, drospirenone, which has been found to cause increased levels of potassium in the body and a serious condition called hyperkalemia. Yaz contains a lower dose of the estrogen and progestin components than Yasmin.

From 2004 to 2008, there were at least 50 deaths in the United States associated with the use of Yaz and Yasmin, according to a recent study.

Unborn Baby Killed by Blood Clots

Richardson was prescribed and took Yaz and/or Yasmin and “suffered blood clotting and related injuries, requiring hospitalization and resulting in the stillbirth of her daughter at 27 weeks of pregnancy,” according to her suit. The lawsuit does not state whether Richardson took Yaz or Yasmin.

Richardson’s lawsuit points out that Bayer was cited in 2008 for false and misleading advertising for Yaz and Yasmin. The ads overstated the approved uses of the drugs and failed to adequately detail the side effects, the Food and Drug Administration found.

“Bayer ultimately agreed to spend at least $20 million on corrective TV advertisements and to submit all Yaz/Yasmin advertisements to the FDA for advanced screening for the next six years,” Richardson’s lawsuit states.

Defective Pills at Center of Suit

Richardson accuses Bayer of producing defective pills, resulting in her injury and the wrongful death of her unborn daughter.

“The Yaz/Yasmin birth control pills manufactured and supplied by defendants were defective in design or formulation in that, when it left the hands of the defendants, the foreseeable risks of the product exceeded the benefits associated with its design or formulation, or they were more dangerous than an ordinary consumer would expect,” the complaint states.

Richardson’s lawsuit includes causes of action including manufacturing and design defect, defect due to inadequate warning, negligence, negligent misrepresentation and/or fraud, breach of express and implied warranties, and violations of the Deceptive Trade Practices Act, the Record said.

She is seeking financial damages for medical expenses, pain and suffering, attorneys’ fees, and punitive damages to punish Bayer for marketing defectively dangerous drugs.

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