Bayer Releases New Safety Information Regarding the Risk of Blood Clots to the Labels of Yaz

(PRWEB) April 27, 2010 -- Bayer Healthcare has announced that it will provide new safety warnings for its birth control pills Yaz and Yasmin. The label changes were approved by the FDA on April 7, 2010, however the exact language has yet to be revealed.

The new information will warn about the potential risk of blood clots from side effects of Yaz and Yasmin and will include new information from four epidemiological studies that provide conflicting information on the risk of Yaz and Yasmin and developing blood clots compared to other birth control pills containing levonrgestrel. The label change is expected to be very similar to updates made last month in the European Union.

A lawyer for a number of injured women, William Riley (http://www.price-law.com/Bio/WilliamRiley.asp), indicated that these warnings were long overdue and questioned why Bayer chose to warn women in Europe before women in America. Riley stated, “It appears that Bayer continues its practice of failing to warn American women while seeking to safeguard its profit margin.” Bayer made an estimated $1.3 Billion in sales for Yaz and Yasmin in the first three quarters of 2009.

As of February 2010, it is estimated that over 1,100 lawsuits had been filed by women who claim to have been injured by either Yaz or Yasmin. The lawsuits claim Yaz and Yasmin caused plaintiffs to suffer blood clots, heart attacks, stroke, gallbladder disease and other health problems. Yasmin, which has been marketed since 2001, and Yaz, since 2006, contain "fourth generation" steroidal formulations for oral contraceptives. They contain drospirenone, which the suits claim may lead to very high levels of potassium. This medical condition or hyperkalemia may cause arterial blood clots, gallbladder disease, pancreatitis, liver and kidney failure, rapid heartbeat, arrhythmias and other conditions, including death, according to the suits.

William Riley (http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/02/prweb3585384.htm ), of the Indianapolis law firm Price Waicukauski & Riley, LLC, has filed several suits against Bayer Healthcare Corporation for Yasmin, Yaz and the generic version, Ocella. The firm is currently representing 65 women from around the country.

With offices in Indianapolis, Indiana, Price Waicukauski & Riley (http://www.price-law.com/) is a trial firm. Collectively, their attorneys have more than 100 years of experience in trials and in the litigation of lawsuits. In many instances, these lawsuits have been class actions on behalf of landowners, consumers, employees, or other groups. The firm’s main areas of practice include Class Actions, Business Litigation, Personal Injury, Medical Malpractice, Legal Malpractice, Products Liability, Actions Against Banks, Environmental Litigation, Civil Trials, and Civil Appeals.

Price Waicukauski & Riley, LLC is also a member of the International Society of Primerus Law Firms (Primerus). Primerus (http://www.primerus.com/firms/price_waicukauski_riley.htm) is the leading alliance of small and medium sized, top-rated, independent firms. With over 140 law firms located in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the U.K., Primerus firms (http://www.primerus.com/membership_benefits.htm) provide clients with responsive, high quality, partner-level service for much less than what large law firms charge. All Primerus law firms are: AV- rated using the Martindale-Hubbell peer review service; screened for excellence; and audited annually for continued quality.

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