Product News and Recalls

Lawsuit filed in Yaz-related death

The Express-Times reports the story of a woman who filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Bayer Corp., claiming the company’s Yaz birth control pills caused a blood clot that killed her daughter last year.

The report says Michelle Pfleger, 18, had been taking Yaz to treat her acne. She was attending her freshman year at Elon University in North Carolina, and had been walking to class one day in September when she abruptly collapsed.

Doctors confirmed that she died from a pulmonary thromboemboli, or a blood clot that had traveled to her lungs.

All birth control pills can increase the risk of blood clots. But a number of studies have shown that birth control pills such as Yaz, which contain the synthetic hormone drospirenone, can carry up to three times that risk compared to other oral contraceptives on the market.

Pills with drospirenone also include Yasmin, Beyaz and Ocella.

Pfleger’s mother, Joan Cummins, filed suit in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas. Her lawsuit alleges that Bayer intentionally took steps to conceal the heaightened blood clot risk from the public.

The report quotes Cummins as saying: “One day she was a freshman at college so full of hope and promise and the next she was gone. I can only hope that by publicizing what happened to Michelle, I can keep another family from having to go through this.”

Patients should consult their doctors before making any changes in their medication. A consultation with a Beyaz lawyer is also important if there are significant injuries.

See the story here:

https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/warren-county/index.ssf?/base/news-3/1305086717193170.xml&coll=3