CINCINNATI, July 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Attorneys at BURG SIMPSON ELDREDGE HERSH & JARDINE, P.C. filed four lawsuits this week in federal court against Bayer alleging that Bayer's oral contraceptives Yasmin and Yaz are defective and present an increased risk of injury to women. Three of the suits were filed in Ohio and the fourth in Wisconsin. The four women who filed suit suffered either deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and/or stroke while taking these products. In addition, both Yasmin and Yaz have been associated with heart attacks and even death in young women.
The lawsuits allege that Bayer failed to warn the women and their physicians of the increased risk of injury, while over-promoting the benefits of the drugs. In October of 2008, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent Bayer a warning letter objecting to its television ads claiming that Yaz has additional benefits compared to other oral contraceptives. The FDA's letter warned that Yaz actually has additional risks because it contains the progestin drospirenone. The warning prompted an agreement for Bayer to spend $20 million on corrective ads.
Burg Simpson shareholders Michael Burg, Janet Abaray and Seth Katz have vast amounts of experience in litigating dangerous birth control product cases. Mr. Burg and Ms. Abaray currently serve as co-lead counsel in the Ortho Evra Product Liability Litigation, MDL No. 1742. They are leading the firm's Yasmin and Yaz litigation and expect to file additional lawsuits in the coming weeks.
