Bayer is the leading manufacturer of birth control pills, and their development of a new contraceptive pill comes at a time when Bayer is still dealing with the fall out from alleged serious side effects from its previous birth control drug Yaz.

Across the U.S., almost 3,000 women are suing Bayer alleging serious injuries related to the use of the drug. Side effects may include blood clots, deep vein thrombosis, strokes, heart attacks, gall bladder damage, and kidney problems. In certain cases, women have died suddenly. Learn more about dangerous Yaz side effects and Yaz lawsuits.

Yaz side effects and Yaz lawsuits

Paxil, Paxil Oral Suspension, and Paxil-CR are trade names of the drug Paroxetine, which is a member of a class of drugs known as “selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors” (SSRIs). A 2005 study based on 3,500 pregnant women, linked Paxil to twice as many birth defects compared to other antidepressants when taken during the first three months of pregnancy.

The birth defects identified in the study included congenital defects, heart defects and persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN), a potentially fatal disease.

If your child was born with birth defects and you were prescribed Paxil or other antidepressant drugs while pregnant, please contact our law firm to learn about your rights for no charge or obligation.

The decision to update the labels came after two studies that were commissioned by Bayer showed that the risk of Yaz and Yasmin was comparable to that of other oral contraceptives on the market, according to press reports.

Click here to learn more about the risks associated with Yaz and Yasmin.

In a report by the CBS affiliate TV station in Nashville, Tennessee, Traci Mayfield spoke of her love for her 20-year old daughter Leah, “We were more than mother/daughter, we were best friends. She blossomed into a beautiful young lady [in college].”

Leah and Traci Mayfield

Traci Mayfield has filed a lawsuit against Bayer, the manufacturer of Yaz, for death of her daughter, and is warning others of the dangers of Yaz.  (Ms. Mayfield is represented by Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP). Watch the news report.

If you or a loved one have been injured or died as a result of taking Yaz or Yasmin, please visit Lieff Cabraser’s Yaz/Yasmin legal information page or call us toll-free at 1-800-541-7358. Our personal injury attorneys and legal nurse consultants will promptly review your case for no charge or obligation on your part.

Ms. Fleishman also discusses the risks of these drugs in a YouTube video entitled:  Yaz | Yasmin Drug Side Effects & Dangers Explained

If you or a loved one have been injured or died as a result of taking Yaz or Yasmin, please visit Lieff Cabraser online at http://www.personalinjurylawyeramerica.com/medical/yasmin-yaz.htm or call us toll-free at 1-800-541-7358. Our personal injury attorneys and legal nurse consultants will promptly review your case for no charge or obligation on your part.

On Friday, the jury in Kendall v. Wyeth awarded more than $6 million in compensatory damages to plaintiffs Donna Kendall and John Kendall Jr., their attorneys said. In the punitive damages part of the case decided Monday, the jury awarded $16 million against Wyeth, which is now owned by Pfizer, and $12 million against Pharmacia & Upjohn, which also is now owned by Pfizer. The total verdict adds up to more than $34 million.

Read the full article on law.com.

“While prescribed Yaz, my daughter developed several pulmonary emboli, which obstructed her pulmonary artery and caused her to suffer cardiac arrest. My baby was dead for almost three minutes,” stated Dana Kraus. “She was in excellent health prior to taking Yaz. This was a terrifying experience. We almost lost her. We were so lucky. The doctors at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh were able to save her life.” Pulmonary emboli are blood clots in the lungs that can lead to abnormally low blood pressure and sudden death.

“As alleged in the Complaint, Yaz is a dangerous prescription drug sold without adequate warnings about the risks of serious and fatal injuries,” stated attorney Wendy R. Fleishman. “Bayer failed to warn doctors and patients that Yaz poses a greater risk of serious side than previous generations of oral contraceptives.”

Atkinson, age 33 of Rock Hill, South Carolina, charges that Yaz is a dangerous prescription drug sold without adequate warnings about the risk of serious injuries. Atkinson further alleges that Bayer improperly advertised and over-promoted Yaz for uses such as treating acne, knowing that the risks of such use outweighed any benefits Yaz may have for acne sufferers.

Learn more….

Girls were more likely to be aggressive if their mothers had high levels of BPA — an estrogen-like chemical used in many consumer products — early in pregnancy or at about 16 weeks, the study says. A typical pregnancy lasts 40 weeks. The girls had aggression scores that were similar to those of boys, as measured by a commonly used test, says co-author Joe Braun of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Boys appeared unaffected by BPA.

Braun says he plans to follow children until age 5, because behaviors can change over time. Based largely on animal experiments, the government’s National Toxicology Program last year expressed “some concern” about BPA’s effects on the brain, behavior and prostate gland in children before and after birth. Hugh Taylor, an obstetrician/gynecologist at Yale University School of Medicine, notes that the new findings closely match the animal studies.

The Times also notes that recently the Yaz line’s image has been clouded by concerns from some researchers, health advocates and plaintiffs’ lawyers. They say that the drugs put women at higher risk for blood clots, strokes and other health problems than some other birth control pills do.

And regulators are finding other faults with the Yaz franchise. The FDA early this year asked Bayer to correct misleading television commercials. Last month, the agency cited the company for not following proper quality control procedures at a plant that makes hormone ingredients. Some industry analysts say that the avalanche of criticism could tarnish the Yaz line’s image. Bayer said that the company had been served with 74 lawsuits brought by women who charge that they developed health problems after taking Yaz or Yasmin.

The company says it intends to defend itself vigorously against the suits. The health questions and the lawsuits may rattle consumer confidence, but the Times notes the warnings from federal health authorities about advertising and quality control raise larger questions about Bayer’s approach to complying with government rules.