Did Bayer Sell Yaz Birth Control Pill Knowing it Increased Risk for Blood Clots

Like many, Lynsey Lee turned to birth control pills to help relieve her severe menstrual symptoms. But after her doctor prescribed Yaz, Lynsey began feeling worse rather than better. Soon after starting the medication, she began feeling nauseated, suffered extreme mood swings, and the pain got even worse. Doctors told her it she was reacting to her medicine as her body adjusted to it. A year later, after many medical tests, doctors finally found the root of her problem; a blood clot lodged in her lung.

The blood clot was linked to her use of Yaz, a medication that manufacturer Bayer advertised as having fewer negative side effects than other birth control pills. MSNBC reports the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has raised questions about conflicting information about the risks of taking Yaz and other, similar drugs. Earlier this month, the FDA voted that current labels do not have enough information about the potential side effects and manufacturers must improve labeling.

More than 10,000 American women have hired medication error lawyers to file suits against Bayer and more claims are expected in the near future. Yaz is one of several birth control pills to use a manmade hormone, drospirenone. New independent research indicates pills that have drospirenone as their active ingredient carry a higher risk of blood clots than pills that use naturally occurring progestin and estrogen.

Bayer has previously been in trouble with the FDA for commercials claiming Yaz would help relieve PMS symptoms. In reality, the drug has only been shown to decrease symptoms of the more serious premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Bayer was required to run corrective advertisments with the more accurate information.