Lo/Orval Birth Control Recall Lawsuits May Stem From Unwanted Pregnancies

Pfizer could face a number of product liability lawsuit following last week’s birth control recall, which was issued due to packaging errors that may put women at risk of unwanted pregnancy.

More than one million Lo/Orval and generic norgestrel birth control pills were recalled on January 31, after it was determined that some blister packs may contain the wrong number of pills and that the tablets may be out of sequence.

Pfizer has indicated that the birth control pill problems likely only affected a very small number of packages. However, the recall has caused substantial concern among users, who fear that they may become pregnant because they were not properly protected by the birth control pills they thought they were taking.

Any users throughout the United States who become pregnant after taking the recalled Pfizer birth control pills may end up pursuing a lawsuit against Pfizer for the costs associated with the unwanted pregnancy and raising the child.

In many cases, the birth control may have been prescribed due to the high risks associated with pregnancy for certain women, including potential health problems the mother may face or a potential risk of birth malformations or defects that could caused by other medications the woman may be taking.

The Lo/Orval birth control problems were first noticed by a consumer who saw that a placebo pill had been included among the active ingredient pills in a blister package. Birth control pills are packaged so that active ingredient pills and placebo pills have different colors and follow a woman’s reproductive cycle.

Pfizer has warned that women who took the recalled birth control pills, even if they think nothing was wrong, should begin using a non-hormonal form of contraception immediately, return the recalled pills to their pharmacist and notify their doctor. Pfizer officials indicate there is no safety risk with the pills beyond the increased chance of a pregnancy.

In September, a similar recall was announced for birth control pills distributed by Qualitest Pharmaceitucals. In that incident, the blister packages were rotated 180 degrees during packaging, reversing the weekly tablet orientation. As evidenced by the response in social media and comments on this website, a number of women did indicate that they experienced unintended pregnancies as a result of those recalled birth control pills.