Report: Bayer Paid Out $1 Billion in Yaz/Yasmin Settlements

The Yasmin/Yaz settlement agreements were reached during the mediation process ordered by the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Illinois in the multi-district litigation (MDL) that it is overseeing. Even though Bayer has agreed to settle in the 4,800 lawsuits so far, it does so without admission of liability. The only lawsuits Bayer had agreed to settle up until then were those alleging venous clot injuries such as deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolisms. However, in March 2013, the company agreed to a $24 million settlement program that allows plaintiffs who suffered gallbladder injuries to secure recovery.

Bayer started marketing Yaz and Yasmin birth control pills (generic Ocella) in 2001 as oral contraceptives that were supposed to have been created to avoid the side effects commonly associated with birth control pills such as fluid retention, breast tenderness, weight gain, and increased blood pressure by using a synthetic hormone, progestin drospirenone. Initially, Yaz and Yasmin passed all the necessary clinical trials and inspections and it was considered safe for both short- and long-term use. Besides pregnancy prevention, Yaz and Yasmin were also marketed as a treatment for women suffering from pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) and acne problems.

As early as 2003, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began issuing warnings of the potential risks associated with Yaz and Yasmin birth control pills. There appeared to be an increase in blood clots, which can cause strokes, gallbladder problems, pulmonary embolisms, and deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which are blood clots in the deep vein of the leg, to name a few. In 2011, the FDA released another study which showed that women taking drospirenone oral contraceptives like Yaz, Yasmin, Ocella and Beyaz had a 75% greater risk of developing blood clots than women taking other types of birth control pills.

In late 2012, an Oklahoma woman who had taken Yaz since 2007 began feeling a tingling sensation in her left arm. When she got to the hospital she had no pulse in her arm and watched it turn black as it started to die. As a result, she ended up having to have her arm amputated. This woman is among the many that have filed a Yaz injury lawsuit against Bayer.

There are still 3,200 unsettled Yasmin/Yaz lawsuits pending by users with similar venous clot injuries. According to the annual report, Bayer will consider settling these Yasmin/Yaz lawsuits on a case-by-case basis.

If you or someone you know has had similar injuries as the result of taking Yaz, Yasmin, Beyaz or Ocella oral contraceptives, legal options are available. Learn more and get a free legal consultation regarding a claim’s eligibility at the Yaz/Yasmin, Ocella & Beyaz Birth Control Class Action Lawsuit Settlement Investigation. Experienced legal professionals have access to medical experts to assess whether or not these birth control pills may have played a role in the development of your blood clot, stroke, pulmonary embolism or gallbladder problems, so act now.