• 14
  • May
    2011

German chemical and pharmaceutical company Bayer now faces a US lawsuit filed on behalf of a young woman who died from a blood clot brought allegedly brought about by a taking a contraceptive.

The lawsuit was filed by the parents of the 18-year-old girl on Tuesday. The young woman, Michelle Pleger, reportedly died of cardiac arrest last September. She had been taking YAZ, alternatively known as Yasmin or Ocella, for the treatment of acne.

Birth control medications, according to Mayo Clinic dermatologist Lawrence E. Gibson, may improve ace in women, and are considered typical treatment when the condition does not respond to other types of treatment. Along with Yaz, Ortho Tri-Cyclen and Estrostep have been approved by the FDA for the treatment of acne in women.

Sources said two studies published in the British Medical Journal last month concluded that Yaz and other drugs containing the hormone drospirenone increase the risks of serious blood clots 2 or three times when compared to previously manufactured oral contraceptives. Those studies were criticized by Bayer, who said that the side effects mentioned in the studies were rare. The companies webpage dedicated to YAZ says that the drug can cause "increased risks of several side effects, including blood clots, stroke, and heart attack."

The family's attorney referred to YAZ as "a dangerous prescription drug sold without adequate warnings about the risks of serious and fatal injuries." She also said that doctors and patients were not warned that YAZ presents the risk of more serious side effects than oral contraceptives of previous generations.

Source: AFP, "Bayer faces US lawsuit over contraceptive," 11 May 2011.