Woman Sues Bayer Claiming Yaz Caused Her Blood Clot

An Ohio woman has filed a lawsuit against the maker of the birth-control pill Yaz, claiming the company failed to adequately warn her and other users about the serious risks of life-threatening blood clots and other injuries.

Mae Walker, 30, of Belpre, Ohio, is a mother of three young children who developed deep vein thrombosis in her left leg after taking Yaz for about one year, according to her lawsuit against Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Walker reportedly was hospitalized for three days and given anti-clotting medications to reduce swelling in her leg and treat the blood clot, which if not handled properly could cause fatal stroke, heart attack, and other complications.

Deep vein thrombosis is just one serious health problem associated with the use of Yaz and the related contraceptives, Yasmin and Ocella. Women taking the drugs to avoid becoming pregnant or treat premenstrual dysphoric disorder or moderate to severe acne also have reportedly suffered pulmonary embolism, heart attack, stroke, and gallbladder disease.

Hundreds of women across the United States have filed similar lawsuits accusing Yaz, Yasmin, and Ocella (the generic version of Yasmin) for causing their injuries and claiming Bayer did not properly warn users of the risks.

Yaz Hormone Blamed for User Injuries

Yaz, Yasmin and Ocella all use the same type of hormone, drospirenone, which differs from that used in other contraceptives. The pills have been shown to increase the levels of potassium in the blood, leading to a variety of health problems, including blood clots such as deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.

Walker’s lawsuit, which was filed in the Superior Court of New Jersey where Bayer is based, alleges her injuries and hospitalization were caused by Bayer’s failure to properly warn her and other patients about the risks of taking Yaz. The company knew the drugs were more dangerous than other contraceptives but did not warn women taking them, her attorney said.

“The FDA’s adverse event database for Yaz and Yasmin reveal a very high number of serious adverse events associated with these drugs, including strokes, heart attacks, blood clot formation, gallbladder and kidney disease, and sometimes death,” attorney Wendy R. Fleishman said in a statement. “Bayer failed to warn doctors and consumers that Yaz and Yasmin are actually more dangerous than previous generations of oral contraception pills.”

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