Ocella Blood Clot Lawsuit Filed After Woman’s Death

An Alabama man has filed an Ocella blood clot lawsuit against Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc. for the wrongful death of his wife.

Amanda Fisher was prescribed Ocella (the generic form of Yaz, also produced and distributed by Bayer) on March 4, 2010, and continued to use the Bayer birth control product until her sudden death on June 1, 2012, according to her Ocella side effects lawsuit. It was determined that she died from a heart thrombosis, which has reportedly been linked to her use of Ocella.

In the Ocella blood clot lawsuit, Fisher’s husband accuses Bayer of wrongful death from defective manufacturing, product liability due to inadequate warning, negligence, and breach of warranty.

History of Ocella, Yaz, and Yasmin

Ocella, the generic brand of Yasmin and its sister product Yaz, was introduced in the American birth control market in 2001. Ocella, Yasmin, and Yaz birth control pills are combination estrogen and progestin oral contraceptives designed to prevent pregnancy by suppressing the ovulation, fertilization, and implantation of an egg. However, while Ocella is marketed similarly to other oral contraceptives on the market, this and other Bayer contraceptive products contain drospirenone, a type of progestin not found in any other birth control in the United States. 

Bayer heavily marketed Ocella, Yasmin, and Yaz as oral contraceptives that provided “the same efficacy as other birth control pills in preventing pregnancy, but with additional benefits.” However, on July 10, 2003, the FDA released a formal notice objecting to Bayer’s claim that Ocella, Yasmin, and Yaz drospirenone products were more effective and beneficial than other types of progestin-based birth controls.

The official public warning stated that the “FDA is not aware of substantial evidence of substantial clinical experience demonstrating that Yasmin [and by extension the generic brand Ocella] is superior to other COCs or that the drospirenone in Yasmin is clinically beneficial. On the contrary, FDA is aware of the added clinical risks associated with drospirenone[.]”

On Oct. 3, 2008, Bayer Pharmaceuticals was cited by the FDA for misleading advertising promoting Yaz as a treatment for additional medical conditions. Bayer’s marketing and advertisements of its birth control products promised they would also manage acne and PMS, conditions not included in the FDA’s original approval of Yaz, Yasmin, and Ocella.

Ocella Birth Control Side Effects

Recent FDA studies have linked drospirenone and various potentially dangerous side effects,  including:

•  blood clots
• heart attacks
• strokes
• deep vein thrombosis
• pulmonary embolisms
• liver and/or kidney failure
• death

Many consumers claim that if they had been sufficiently informed of the risks associated with taking Yaz and Yasmin products, they would have pursued another form of birth control.

Join a Free Yaz Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you or someone you know suffered a birth control blood clot injury such as a stroke, heart attack, deep vein thrombosis, or pulmonary embolism, you have legal options. See if you qualify for compensation by submitting your information for a free and confidential case evaluation:

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