Case Info
Women alleged Bayer concealed serious health risks of Yaz and Yasmin
Litigation against Bayer claimed that the pharmaceutical giant used misleading marketing claims in the promotion of its birth control pills Yaz, Yasmin, and Ocella by failing to warn patients about adverse effects. Bayer’s promotional efforts prioritized sales over patient safety, leading to the widespread use of these drugs without adequate warnings of their serious health risks.
Thousands of women claimed to have suffered serious personal injuries, including (but not limited to):
- Blood clots
- Deep vein thrombosis
- Pulmonary embolism
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Gall bladder complications
In some cases, serious injuries linked to Yaz, Yasmin, or Ocella resulted in death.
In 2009, the British Medical Journal (BMJ) published two studies revealing that Drospirenone, a primary ingredient in the birth control pills Yaz, Yasmin, and Ocella, significantly increased the risk of serious blood clots in women. One such blood clot led to the death of a 17-year-old patient. Between 2004 and 2009, Bayer’s birth control products were linked to at least 50 deaths.
Lawsuits against Bayer were consolidated into multidistrict litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. In November 2009, Seeger Weiss founding partner, Christopher Seeger, was appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee. The litigation grew to encompass thousands of cases filed by women and their families, all alleging injuries linked to Bayer’s Drospirenone-based birth control pills.
By 2019, more than 19,000 claims related to Yaz and Yasmin had been settled, with Bayer agreeing to pay over $2 billion.