Bayer’s birth control pills alleged to be defective

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Bayer AG, a drug manufacturer that sells its products in New Jersey and throughout the rest of the world, has now settled a series of products liability lawsuits concerning its birth control bills in the United States for more than $142 million. This averages out to something like $218,000 per case. It's been suggested that the birth control bills manufactured by Bayer can cause blood clots that may eventually lead to fatal heart attacks or strokes. Warning labels that will now appear upon the medication indicate that women taking the birth control product have nearly three times the chance of developing such clots. Unfortunately, the pills may be responsible for other injuries as well including possible damage caused to the gallbladder. It has been suggested that the pill has been an active ingredient in the creation of gallstones. Many of the lawsuits have contended that Bayer misled consumers about the risks of taking such medications. It is has been reported by the FDA that use of the birth control pills has been tied to as many as 50 deaths. It's possible that the company would like to avoid being hit with a large jury verdict and that is why it has settled so many of these cases. Bayer understands the difficulty in predicting precisely what kind of verdict will be brought if the company does bring such matters to court. Attorneys for the company also understand the impression that would be made upon a jury by a young woman debilitated by a stroke. Source: Bloomberg, "Bayer Yasmin Lawsuit Settlements Climb to $142 million," by Jef Feeley and Margaret Cronin Fisk, April 26, 2012