Fort Worth Injury Lawyer Blog
A falsely advertised Yaz commercial sparks possible health concerns for the birth control pill. Yaz, a product of Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals, has received thousands of complaints from women across the U.S. about unsatisfying results after taking the pill for several months. In 2007 Yaz launched an advertisement that promoted the pill to treat severe premenstrual symptoms and mild acne, making the pill extremely desirable for most women. After the ad hit the air, millions of women switched to the pill expecting to see a positive outcome. Just two years after the launch of Yaz, their sales had jumped to 2 billion, making Yaz one of the leading birth control pills on the market and one of Bayer’s top products. However, a positive outcome wasn’t true for everyone. Many women prescribed to Yaz felt as if the advertisement was extremely misleading. Premenstrual symptoms were still happening and women with mild acne were not seeing huge improvements like the ad had emphasized.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVy-uDadBx4
As more complaints were filed the FDA, Food and Drug Administration, took a closer look at the advertisement and results of the pill. After studies found that Yaz was never actually proven to treat severe PMS symptoms, Bayer launched a corrected ad that reinstated the pill should be used “for the treatment of premenstrual dysphonic disorder, or PMDD, and moderate acne, not for the treatment of PMS or mild acne.” Though Bayer had corrected their misleading ad, the FDA still had concerns about the pill. While looking over studies the FDA noted that Yaz, unlike most birth control pills, contains the use of drospirenone, a synthetic progestin that helps prevent ovulation. Though drospirenone works well for preventing pregnancy, the FDA has shown concern that the synthetic progestin may lead to a higher risk of blood clots.
In 2008, a 24-year-old woman taking Yaz for just three months suffered from a nearly fatal blood clot that she believes also might be the cause of her blindness. The woman began taking Yaz after seeing the convincing commercial that Yaz would treat all severe PMS and mild acne symptoms. After a few months on the pill she began to feel aching pain in her legs, assuming it was simply exhaustion. Shortly after, she suffered from severe blood clots the next evening. The clots had traveled from her legs up to her lungs causing a double pulmonary embolism. As she was rushed to the hospital her heart stopped and she slipped into a coma. The 24-year-old awakened about two weeks later to realize she no longer had her vision. Doctors are not positive what exactly lead to the blood clots and the loss of vision but the woman believes it had to do with the drospirenone in the pill. (read full story)
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The FDA has yet to complete their study about the possible increased risk for blood clots while using birth control that contains drospirenone. However, they continue to advise all women taking birth control to consult their doctor for alternative options. Unfortunately, with most birth controls there are always risks that patients need to be aware of. If you feel that you or someone you know has suffered from side effects that were not properly warned about don’t hesitate to contact a lawyer to discuss your legal options. At Borchardt Law Firm we have seen and dealt with many defective prescription drug cases and feel the work we do will better protect future generations of Texans. Feel free to give us a call.
Toll Free: 866.832.9300
Phone: 817.332.9300
Fax: 817.332.9301
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801 Cherry St #1005
Fort Worth, Texas 76102
firm@attorneysmb.com
Sources:
http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/studies-find-yaz-risky-leading-birth-control-pills/story?id=14741760#.Tsqus7Iizcs
http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm273021.htm
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