Lawsuit Says NuvaRing Side Effects Caused Pulmonary Embolism

Lawsuit Says NuvaRing Side Effects Caused Pulmonary Embolism

By John Curran

Jennifer McNamara is suing a Merck & Co. subsidiary, saying that NuvaRing vaginal ring contraceptive caused her to experience blood clotting in her lung. She is seeking compensatory damages.

The Pennsylvania woman says she began using NuvaRing beginning in 2006 based on advertisements and product inserts that indicated the possibility of minor side effects including breast swelling. However, in July 2007, she allegedly developed NuvaRing pulmonary embolism side effects, which required blood thinners and follow up treatment that continues today.

Organon, the maker of the device now owned by Merck & Co., “failed to properly disclose the known safety hazards” associated with their product, according to the NuvaRing lawsuit. McNamara’s lawsuit attorney alleges that the company relied on safety data from oral contraceptives that prevent pregnancies using different hormones than the etonogestrel released by the NuvaRing.

The NuvaRing lawsuit alleges that had the drug manufacturer done the proper testing, the labeling would not have been “misleading,” and women like McNamara would have been aware of concerns regarding NuvaRing pulmonary embolism side effects and related issues including deep vein thrombosis and stroke. As reports in studies and complaints to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) mounted, the NuvaRing lawsuit alleges that the defendants likely knew, yet “failed to disclose that the NuvaRing had a higher risk of stroke and thromboembolic complication that the pill, due to the markedly potentiated androgenic effects caused by the synthetic, third-generation progestin used in the NuvaRing.”

Counts against the pharmaceutical company include defective manufacturing and design, failure to warn, breaches of express and implied warranties, negligence, misrepresentation and/or fraud as well as violation of state statutes.

The NuvaRing blood clot side effects lawsuit is Jennifer McNamara v. Organon USA Inc., et al., Case No. 13-cv-02674, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. 

Women who have dealt with NuvaRing side effects may be able to pursue legal remedies like McNamara. The first step is to determine one’s eligibility which can be done through a no-cost case review available at the NuvaRing Birth Control Class Action Lawsuit Settlement & Investigation. Fill out the short form there for a free consultation with a NuvaRing lawsuit attorney and find out if you can pursue damages against Merck & Co. based on your experiences with the contraceptive today.