Bayer Settles over 17,000 Yaz and Yasmin Lawsuits

After two years of legal battles, Bayer has agreed to settle over 17,000 lawsuits brought forward by women who allege that they suffered blood-clot injuries from Yaz and Yasmin birth control pills.  Legal experts are encouraged by this turn of events, because it could be mean more positive outcome for these lawsuits.

According to disclosures Bayer published in its 2013 annual report, the company agreed to pay approximately $1.69 billion dollars to settle 8,250 birth control lawsuits.  Each of these lawsuits involved women who had taken Yaz or Yasmin birth control pills and suffered various blood clot injuries and their lasting complications.

Bayer Pharmaceuticals agreed to pay an additional $24 million to settle another 8,800 lawsuits, which were brought by women who allege they suffered gallbladder injuries from the medications.  As of Feb. 10, Bayer Pharmaceuticals announced that there are still 4,600 unresolved Yaz, Yasmin, Ocella, and Gianvi lawsuits.  Additionally, 13 international Yaz and Yasmin lawsuits have been filed against Bayer, from Canada and Israel.

As of now, Bayer’s legal team is continuing to negotiate settlements for these lawsuits on a case-by-case basis.  The number of lawsuits has become so staggering that Bayer is considering settling 1,950 of the lawsuits involving undisclosed claims.  That would leave more than 2,500 complaints unresolved, with the drug maker indicating it is expecting even more lawsuits.

Despite the litigation struggle, Bayer Pharmaceuticals is confident that its legal team will continue to defend them, and that they will continue to reach settlements.

Overview of Yaz/Yasmin Complications

Yaz and Yasmin are oral contraceptives manufactured by Bayer Pharmaceuticals; they are unique compared to other birth control pills, because they use the hormone drospirenone.  Drospirenone is a fourth-generation progestin, which was 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 regarding the full extent of its biological mechanism.  This has led to much criticism from medical experts and the public because the company has admitted being unsure of how the drug exactly works, and therefore, are not completely aware of its side effects.

Additionally, many doctors suspect this hormone is the cause of the blood-clot complications that have made the oral contraceptives so infamous.  While not much is known about drospirenone, one known characteristic about progestin is that it is a diuretic. That means it causes the blood flow to slow down.  In turn, a variety of blood clot injuries are able to form inside the patient.

Yaz and Yasmin Litigation Movement

In the federal court system, Yaz and Yasmin lawsuits have been consolidated into a multidistrict litigation (MDL) suit, which is centered in Southern Illinois.  It has since become one of the largest MDL movements in the United States, with the total number of active Yaz cases officially surpassing asbestos litigation last year.

If agreements are not reached to settle all cases it is possible that lawsuits will be remanded back to the U.S. District Courts where they were originally filed.  The litigation has been essentially stalled since January 2012, when the first trial dates in the federal MDL were cancelled after the start of settlement negotiations.

File a Yaz Lawsuit Today

If you believe that you or a loved one have been the victim of a Yaz blood clot, you have legal options.  Please visit the Birth Control Lawsuits: Yaz, Yasmin, Beyaz, Gianvi, Ocella Class Action Lawsuit Investigation.  There, you can submit your claim for a free legal review and if it qualifies for legal action, a seasoned Yaz lawyer will contact you for a free, no-obligation consultation.  You will be guided through the litigation process at no out-of-pocket expenses or hidden fees.  The blood clot attorneys working this investigation do not get paid until you do.