Yaz Stroke, Heart Attack Settlement to Result in Payment of Another $56.9M

Bayer Healthcare has agreed to pay about $57 million to settle Yaz lawsuits and Yasmin lawsuits involving arterial thromboembolism (ATE) injuries, such as strokes and heart attacks, potentially resolving about 1,200 of the remaining cases over the controversial birth control pills.

The Yaz settlement agreement was announced in a court order (PDF) issued on Monday, outlining a voluntary program established for individuals pursuing claims over an arterial clot injury to resolve their case. However, at least 97.5% of those eligible must agree to participate or Bayer can withdraw from the settlement.

Bayer indicated last month that they continue to face about 4,000 product liability lawsuits over side effects of Yaz and Yasmin, after previously agreeing to pay about $2 billion to settle claims involving venous thromboembolism (VTE) injuries, such as deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. In an investor report issued for the second quarter of 2015, the drug maker estimated that about 1,200 of the remaining claims involved arterial clots.

Following the announcement of the ATE resolution program, a settlement website (www.yazofficialatesettlement.com) was launched to provide details of the Master Settlement Agreement (PDF).

The agreement appears to have been reached last month, when several Yaz and Yasmin ATE lawsuits were slated to go to trial, but were postponed at the last minute.

On Monday, U.S. District Judge David R. Herndon, who is overseeing the federal Yaz and Yasmin litigation, placed a stay on all cases and called for a census of remaining claims to get an indication of how many cases will remain unresolved after the settlement program.

Since October 2009, the federal Yaz and Yasmin litigation has been consolidated for pretrial proceedings before Judge Herndon in the Southern District of Illinois.

At its peak, Judge Herndon presided over more than 12,000 complaints, which all involved similar allegations that Bayer failed to adequately warn women and the medical community about the potential side effects of Yaz and Yasmin, after the active ingredient drospirenone has been linked to an increased risk of blood clots, heart attacks, strokes and other injuries.