Indiana Woman Seeking Damages over NuvaRing Side Effects

Brittany McGuire says side effects related to a contraceptive product sold and marketed by Merck & Co. and Organon forced her hospitalization, according to a recently filed NuvaRing pulmonary embolism lawsuit.

She began using the birth control vaginal ring in 2007, but early in 2013, the 23-year-old experienced significant chest pains. She went to an Indiana hospital, where doctors diagnosed her as having suffered from NuvaRing side effects that resulted in blood clotting in her lungs. She was forced to use the thinning agent warfarin and allegedly will require follow-up care.

At the time of her injury, McGuire’s NuvaRing lawsuit attorney alleges that she had no idea of the risks involving blood clotting caused by the device. According to the complaint, the pharmaceutical companies “should have known that use of their products created a higher risk of venous thromboembolism than oral contraceptives.” 

In fact, Merck and Organon reportedly used clinical trials from birth control pills for approval of their vaginal ring product in spite of the use of the hormone etonogestrel which has “markedly potentiated androgenic effects” relating to the production of male hormones. Instead, safety information provided to McGuire and other women at the time she began treatment only noted “a low incidence of side effects, such as headaches, nausea, and breast tenderness.”

Had McGuire known of these risks regarding NuvaRing side effects, she says she would not have used the birth control treatment. As a result, counts against the two pharmaceutical companies include failure to warn along with defective manufacturing and design and breaches of express and implied warranties among others.

The NuvaRing pulmonary embolism lawsuit is Brittany McGuire v. Organon USA Inc., Case No. 13-cv-01596, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.

If you or someone you know developed blood clotting issues while using this birth control vaginal ring, you may be able to pursue damages from Organon and Merck. Learn more and find out if you are eligible by visiting the NuvaRing Birth Control Class Action Lawsuit Settlement & Investigation. When you fill out the short form there for a free consultation, a NuvaRing lawsuit attorney will contact you and help you establish your eligibility to file a complaint. Any legal success could help offset medical bills and lost wages, as well as reduced quality of life.