Yaz and Yasmin Deaths May Exceed 190 in United States Alone: Report

More than 190 American women may have died as a result of the potential side effects of Yaz and Yasmin birth control pills, according to an organization devoted to curbing corporate misbehavior by Bayer. 

The Germany-based Coalition against Bayer Dangers (CBG) reports that a search of the FDA’s adverse events database reveals that there have been 140 Yasmin deaths reported in connection to the use of the birth control pill and another 50 Yaz deaths reported in connection with the newer version of the drug.

The numbers presented by the group only account for women in the United States, and do not count the deaths of other women worldwide who took Yaz or Yasmin birth control. Many of the victims are young women who had few or no health problems, but suddenly developed blood clots, pulmonary embolisms, suffered a stroke or gallbladder disease after taking Yaz or Yasmin.

The reports are not evidence that the use of Yaz or Yasmin caused the women’s deaths, so it is unclear how many may or may not be directly related to Yaz or Yasmin health problems. However, FDA officials and other organizations say that drug side effects are extremely underreported, so there is also the possibility that the actual number deaths from Yaz and Yasmin may be substantially higher.

Some studies have found that Yaz, Yasmin and other drospirenone-based birth control pills could increase the risk of a thrombosis event, like a blood clot, stroke or pulmonary embolism, by as much as 80% over older contraceptives which are just as effective at preventing unwanted pregnancies.

CBG plans to have women who suffered an injury from the birth control pills to speak out at an upcoming Bayer shareholder meeting and intends to call for the drug maker to issue a Yaz and Yasmin recall.

Bayer faces about 7,000 Yaz lawsuits and Yasmin lawsuits, which have been consolidated and centralized for pretrial proceedings as part of an MDL, or multidistrict litigation, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. There are also hundreds of cases filed at the state level in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The Bayer birth control lawsuits have been filed by women, or the families of women who died, who say that Bayer failed to adequately research the medications or warn about the possible side effects of Yaz and Yasmin birth control pills.