Lawsuit Says Yaz Blood Clot May Leave Plaintiff Blind

Sarah Brackmann of Illinois has filed a Yaz lawsuit and joined multidistrict litigation (MDL) against Bayer over their drospirenone birth control pills. She claims a blood clot caused by Yaz side effects may leave her with permanent vision loss.

Brackmann was prescribed Yaz in the summer of 2011 and continued to take the birth control pill through September 2011, according to her lawsuit. At this time, she developed a large blood clot (a thrombin in medical terms), which dislodged. The clot traveled to Brackmann’s brain, where it caused her to suffer vision impairment. Treatment of her condition required surgical intervention but despite undergoing surgery, Brackmann’s vision remained impaired. According to the Yaz lawsuit, Brackmann may suffer a complete loss of vision due to the condition.

In her Yaz lawsuit, Brackmann alleges that the defendants knew – or reasonably should have known – of the risks of dangerous blood clots forming due to Yaz side effects. The complaint cites peer-reviewed case studies and routine postmarket surveillance, as well as the defendant’s own clinical trials as credible evidence that Bayer was aware of the risks of Yaz and Yasmin. In fact, the complaint cites specific articles from journals dating back to the early 2000s. 

The Yaz lawsuit further alleges that not only did the defendants know about the risks, but actually concealed this knowledge and aggressively promoted these contraceptives, despite safer alternatives. The lawsuit cites a 2003 letter from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), wherein the manufacturers were charged with over-promoting the drugs, downplaying or even omitting information about the risks associated with these contraceptives in advertisements. The FDA’s letter also charged that the advertisements claimed that drugs like Yaz and Yasmin could treat disorders the drug was not approved to treat, including premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Subsequently, the FDA issued a similar letter in 2008 with similar concerns about additional advertisements. 

The Yaz lawsuit is formally titled Sarah Brackmann v. Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc., Case No. 3:09-md-02100-DRH-PMF, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. It has been added to the ongoing Yaz blood clot MDL known as In Re: Yasmin and Yaz (Drospirenone) Marketing, Sales Practices and Relevant Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2100, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois.