Thousands of Yaz, Yasmin and Ocella Lawsuit Claims Have Been Filed

About 4,200 people have filed a Yaz lawsuit, Yasmin lawsuit or Ocella lawsuit against Bayer alleging that they suffered severe, and sometimes fatal, injuries due to side effects of the birth control pills.

According to a recent order issued by Chief Judge David R. Herndon, who is presiding over the consolidated federal litigation for Yaz, Yasmin and Ocella in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, there are currently at least 3,700 cases pending in his court as part of a multidistrict litigation (MDL), and the number of lawsuits “grows by leaps and bounds every month.”

In addition to the federal litigation, at least 485 Yaz, Yasmin and Ocella lawsuits are currently consolidated in New Jersey state court, according to the most recent case list provided last month. A number of other claims have also been filed in various other state courts throughout the United States, including an unknown number of Pennsylvania cases that have been centralized as a mass tort in Philadelphia.

All of the lawsuits involve similar allegations that otherwise healthy women using the birth control pills suffered injuries as a result of side effects of Yaz, Yasmin and Ocella, including strokes, heart attacks, pulmonary embolisms, deep vein thrombosis, gallbladder disease and other blood clot-related problems.

The increased risk of Yaz, Yasmin and Ocella health problems appears to be linked to the use of drospirenone, according to complaints filed. Drospirenone can increase blood potassium levels, causing a condition known as hyperkalemia, which is known to cause heart problems and other issues. Lawsuits allege that Bayer failed to adequately research the risks associated with this “fourth” generation progestin or adequately warn women about the extent of the risk they may face compared to other oral birth control pills.

According to Judge Herndon’s Case Management Order, which set out the selection process for the first bellwether Yaz trials, approximately 43% of the cases pending in the MDL involve women who experienced a gallbladder injury from Yaz, Yasmin or Ocella, about 40%-41% involved a venus thromboembolism (which include both Yasmin and Yaz pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis injuries), and about 9% – 10% of the lawsuits involve a heart attack or stroke from the birth control pills.

As Yaz, Yasmin and Ocella lawyers continue to review and file new cases, the number of lawsuits pending in both the federal MDL and various state courts is expected to continue to grow. Some estimates have suggested that Yaz birth control suits may eventually be filed by more than 25,000 women.