A NuvaRing lawsuit has been filed against Oraganon USA and Merck & Co., Inc., alleging that the contraceptive caused the plaintiff to suffer retinal vein occlusion.
The plaintiff began using NuvaRing in March 2007 and continued to use it until January 2009 when she suffered from a retinal vein occlusion, causing her “intense and excruciating pain” which required hospitalization.
A retinal vein occlusion occurs when the small veins that carry blood away from the retina become blocked. The retina is at the back of the inner eye and has the job of converting light images to nerve signals that get sent to the brain.
NuvaRing’s maker has since been acquired by Merck & Co. and is now responsible and liable for the plaintiff’s injuries, the lawsuit states.
The NuvaRing is a unique vaginal birth control ring that only has to be inserted once a month. It is advertised as being easy to use and just as effective as traditional birth control pills, but without the hassle.
The drug maker says that it provides “month-long protection against pregnancy, so women who use NuvaRing don’t have to think about contraception every day.”
However, the lawsuit states, Oraganon and Merck “failed to properly disclose the known safety hazards associated with NuvaRing.”
The literature that comes with NuvaRing lists side effects and risks that are typical of birth control pills, but “the safety information provided to the consumer was not derived from studies of NuvaRing and, therefore, the package insert accompanying NuvaRing is misleading.”
The potential risks the plaintiff claims that the defendants failed to warn its customers of include risk of stroke, venous thromboembolisms, Superficial Venous Thrombosis, Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism — all of which are related to the formation of blood clots, the NuvaRing lawsuit claims.
The NuvaRing is made with etonogestrel, which is a synthetic, third generation progestin. According to the NuvaRing lawsuit, this progestin “was not the subject of sufficient and adequate testing.”
The plaintiff argues that the two drug makers either knew or should have known of the risks associated with the contraceptive device and not marketed the NuvaRing “as having a low risk of side effects.”
Not only that, but according to the lawsuit, Merck “continues to minimize NuvaRing’s side effects by focusing on the incidence of minor side effects.”
For example, Merck states, “With NuvaRing there is a low incidence of side effects, such as headaches, nausea, and breast tenderness.”
It is because of claims like these that the plaintiff alleges she felt safe using this unique form of contraception, but had she known of the problems linked to it, she would not have used it but opted for something else.
The plaintiff’s charges against Merck and Oraganon include defective manufacturing, defective design, inadequate warning, breach of express warranty, breach of implied warranty, negligence, misrepresentation, fraud and violating Arizona consumer protection laws.
She is suing for economic, non-economic and compensatory damages.
The NuvaRing lawsuit is Case No. 0:13-cv-02961-JRT-TNL, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota.
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One thought on Ariz. Woman Files NuvaRing Lawsuit Due to Eye Blood Clot
This makes me so angry, I too had a blood clot from nuvaring and it was dismissed as a rare occurrence. Had I known about these problems, I would have never used this form of birth control. I incurred a huge medical expenses because I didn’t have insurance at the time.