Watson Pharma’s Generic Yaz Approved Despite Blood Clot Risks
While it may seem astonishing, another generic version of the controversial birth control pill Yaz has been approved. This one is made by Watson Pharmaceuticals. The FDA decided to approve the generic drug even after it has been reviewing Yaz for its links to blood clots.
The newest generic Yaz is called Vestura, and will be the newest generic version of Yaz birth control pill to hit the market. Vestura will also be comprised of ethinyl estradiol and drospirenone, which is a synthetic progestin that research has shown to cause various adverse side effects including blood clots that can lead to strokes, heart attacks, pulmonary embolisms and deep vein thrombosis. Regardless of the dangers linked to drospirenone, Yaz and its sister pill, Yasmin, are still the most popular birth control pills on the market.
Generic versions of the pills have been spawned from various companies, including Bayer. Bayer’s generic version is called Beyaz, which the company promotes by stating that the pill also contains folic acid. Other generic versions include Ocella and Gianvi. Due to the safety risks linked to Yaz, the FDA is conducting an advisory panel meeting this month to evaluate the dangers. This is why it's so strange that the drug regulators would go ahead and approve another version of the drug.
Thousands of lawsuits have been filed against Bayer amid claims that the company not only failed to properly warn consumers of the dangers, but that the company blatantly advertised the pills as a cure-all for everything from acne to PMS while knowing how dangerous the pills were. In fact, the FDA forced Bayer to change its advertising campaign to include the dangers linked to the drug, but the pill’s popularity continued anyway.
