Bayer Pharmaceuticals Continues to Settle Yaz and Yasmin Lawsuits

With 3,900 Yaz and Yasmin lawsuits pending, Bayer Pharmaceuticals still has a lot of litigation to resolve. Bayer has already paid about $1.74 billion in settlements to resolve more than 17,000 Yaz and Yasmin lawsuits.

Each of the plaintiffs in these Yaz lawsuits allege the medications caused them to suffer severe injuries and accuses the company of negligent marketing practices. Both of these medications are popular birth control pills. In Bayer’s first 2014 quarterly financial statement released earlier this week, the company reported it had agreed to settle Yaz and Yasmin lawsuits filed by more than 8,500 women who suffered those blood clot injuries. Bayer also said another 8,800 Yaz and Yasmin lawsuits have been settled involving women who reported suffering gallbladder injuries.

Although Bayer has settled those cases, the company indicated it is now only willing to settle specific blood clot injury lawsuits on a case-by-case basis after an analysis of medical records. Negotiations are continuing with law firms nationwide, with Bayer estimating approximately 1,920 of the remaining lawsuits to be considered for settling. The amount of these Yaz, Yasmin, Gianvi, and Ocella settlements is expected to exceed $2 billion.

Overview of Yaz and Yasmin Complications

Yaz, Yasmin, Gianvi and Ocella are all oral contraceptives manufactured by Bayer Pharmaceuticals. They are unique compared to other birth control pills, because they are composed of the hormone drospirenone. While Yaz and Yasmin are premier birth control pills of the company, Gianvi and Ocella are recently developed generic versions of the drug, which are distributed by other drug manufacturing companies.

Drospirenone is a fourth-generation progestin developed and first used in 2001. Yasmin was the first oral contraceptive to use the hormone. Because the hormone is relatively new, there is not much scientific data available. This lack of data leaves experts unsure of how the hormone exactly affects body, making them very hesitant to recommend the hormone for public use. This uncertainty has earned much criticism from doctors and the public. Bayer has also admitted to not understanding the mechanism of the hormone, but still sold drospirenone-containing birth control pills under the promise that they were safe to the public.

Bayer faces multidistrict litigation (MDL) over the drugs and thousands of Yaz and Yasmin lawsuits against the company over the mentioned blood clot injuries. An MDL is similar to the better known class action lawsuit. While a class action lawsuit is filed on behalf of a group of plaintiffs with similar allegations, an MDL is the collecting of individually filed lawsuits making similar claims. Both MDLs and class action lawsuits are intended to streamline the legal process.

At its peak, the Yaz and Yasmin MDL was the largest consolidated litigation in the United States, with the total number of active lawsuits surpassing asbestos litigation.

If Bayer refuses to negotiate agreements to settle the remaining lawsuits, a series of bellwether trials will likely be scheduled, or the courts will have to hear hundreds of individual lawsuits. A series of bellwether trials were scheduled for the Yaz and Yasmin MDL involving different injury groups, but the cases were cancelled in early 2012 as Bayer began settling cases.

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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