A Pennsylvania woman has filed a federal lawsuit against Bayer over complaints that the German drugmaker failed to provide adequate warning of health risks associated with its contraceptive Mirena, Bloomberg reports.
Mirena is an intrauterine device that prevents pregnancy for as long as five years. According to the lawsuit that Tricia Prendergast filed in Philadelphia, Bayer doesn’t warn that it can become embedded in the body or cause an ectopic pregnancy. Prendergast claims she required surgery to remove the device after complications.
Recently, Bayer has faced legal problems related to other birth control products.
Last year, the company spent $750 million to settle nearly 3,500 lawsuits alleging that its Yasmin line of birth control pills caused blood clots. An estimated 8,800 more lawsuits over the pills remain to be settled.
According to Bloomberg, more than 15 million women worldwide use Mirena, including more than 2 million in the U.S.
The report includes a written statement from Prendergast’s lawyer, to the effect that Bayer “introduced a product into the stream of commerce which is dangerous and unsafe in that the harm of Mirena use outweighs any benefit derived therefrom.”
Patients should consult their doctors before making any changes in their medication. A consultation with a Mirena lawyer is also important if there are significant injuries from Mirena.
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