Yaz Lawsuits Continue; FDA Responds
Another day, and still more evidence arises that the latest generation of birth control drugs for women might be unsafe to take. In some cases, there have been deaths as a result of blood clotting caused by the newer drugs, as claimed by a number of lawsuits.
Dawn Varrechio is the mother of four children, who found herself having trouble breathing when taking birth control medication Yaz. "It's scary to think that at 35 you could be gone, like that quickly," Varrechio said in an interview. The breathing trouble arose in January, and she went to the emergency room. Scared she might be dying and worried for her children, Dawn was diagnosed with blood clots in both lungs.
Another patient who blames her blood clots on Yaz suffered injuries from which she says she might never completely recover, and has expressed anger at the manufacturers.
All birth control pills are composed of hormones that can lead to blood thickening. However Yaz and Yasmin have been shown in a number of studies and lawsuits to lead to much greater blood clotting than earlier generation drugs.
In particular, two studies published last year by the British Medical Journal found that Yaz presents serious blood clotting risks — as much as six times that of earlier formulations.
Bayer, the maker of Yaz and Yasmin, insists that its products can be used safely when directions are followed, and maintains that Yaz and Yasmin are labeled clearly regarding the side effects raised in the lawsuits.
Lawyers arguing for the plaintiffs are making the case that these drugs and their generic variations should have stronger label warnings, perhaps as much as a black-box warning, which is the FDA's strongest category in such cases.
Perhaps in response to these claims, the FDA has ordered its own study into Yaz, Yasmin and derived generic drugs. The study is ongoing.
