Bayer is paying $142 million to settle 651 lawsuits over claims that its birth control pills cause blood clots, according to a newsletter published by the company. Initial reports announced settlements of about $110 million.
The latest figure was included in the Bayer Stockholders’ Newsletter for the first quarter. According to the newsletter, the company paid an average of about $218,000 a case.
The lawsuits dealt with the company’s pills containing the synthetic hormone drospirenone, including Yasmin, Yaz, Ocella and Beyaz.
The settlements came after a federal judge postponed a Jan. 9 trial of a lawsuit against the German corporation so a mediator could try to negotiate an agreement. Plaintiffs have filed more than 11,000 lawsuits over injuries allegedly caused by the drugs.
Numerous studies have shown that the Yasmin contraceptives carry up to three times the risk of potentially fatal blood clots than other kinds of birth control pills on the market. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently changed the labels on the pills to reflect that risk.
See the newsletter here: https://www.stockholders-newsletter-q1-2012.bayer.com/en/bayer-stockholders-newsletter-1q-2012.pdfxl
