To say that the Yaz and Yasmin birth control pills were profitable before the numerous class action cases might be an understatement. In 2008, the potentially deadly oral contraceptives earned its maker, Bayer, $1.8 billion. Through print and television ads, Bayer marketed the pills as a contraceptive with the added benefit of clearing a woman’s skin.
The advertisements also said the drospirenone-based contraceptives would put an end to premenstrual syndrome (PMS). As most of you may know by now, Bayer failed to warn users of harmful injuries associated with the drug, including gall bladder disease, blood clots and an increased risk of strokes.
Once its misleading claims went public, Bayer changed the advertisements at a cost of around $20 million. Twenty-million dollars sounds like a lot to you and me, but it still just a fraction of Bayer’s overall profits from Yaz and Yasmin. Some legal experts expect that Bayer will reach a global settlement of all thousands of cases pending against it.
Those cases against Bayer include approximately 50 deaths linked to the pills, according to injury-law.freeadvice.com. One of those fatalities was a 17-year-old college student who collapsed on her way to class. A doctor prescribed her the drug for its off-label use of clearing mild cases of acne.
Harrell & Nowak, L.L.C. – New Orleans injury attorneys