Yaz, Yasmin, and Ocella Lawsuit Attorneys

The birth control market has exploded in recent years, and people have taken advantage of the purported benefits provided by several new products.  One group of birth control medications that’s been taking the market by storm is a group of products that include Yasmin, Yaz and Ocella, all of which are very similar products designed to prevent unwanted pregnancies.

Unfortunately for many women, these products have been linked to the development of serious Yaz side effects that have drawn intense scrutiny from the public.  Below you’ll find information about each of these drugs, how they work, the side effects to which they’ve been linked, the reactions by those who have been harmed and ultimately how you should proceed if you’ve been injured as a result of using Yaz, Yasmin or Ocella.

Yasmin Birth Control by Bayer Healthcare

Yasmin is manufactured by Bayer Healthcare, and it was originally approved for use in the United States by the FDA in May of 2001.  It was the first in this line of products to become available to the public, and its advantages were seen as innovative when its use began for countless women across the country.

Yaz Birth Control by Bayer Healthcare

Yaz is also manufactured by Bayer Healthcare, and its makeup is quite similar to Yasmin, but there are small differences in the amounts of hormones present in the active ingredients and in the amounts of hormones that are released into the woman’s system after taking it.  Yaz was approved in 2006 by the FDA.

Ocella - Generic Yas and Yazmin by Barr

Many times, when a company formulates a generic equivalent of a drug, it must seek approval to market it by way of litigation, and it was no different for Ocella.  Ocella is manufactured by Barr Laboratories, and after a lawsuit was filed to invalidate the patent held by Bayer Healthcare for Yaz and Yasmin, Ocella was allowed to hit the market in 2008.

How Yasmin, Yaz and Ocella Birth Control Works

Even though there are slight differences in the active ingredients of these drugs, their functions and purposes are similar.  Yasmin, Yaz and Ocella work by prompting slight changes with the reproductive systems of women by preventing ovulation in most cases and by eliciting slight changes in the structure of the uterine wall and the cervix.

These changes should prevent ovulation from occurring, but on the off chance that they don’t, a fertilized egg will not be able to attach to the uterus for growth if it’s been fertilized.  This is done by releasing hormones, including estrogen, into the system to provide what is in essence a chemical impossibility for a pregnancy to occur.

Yasmin, Yaz and Ocella Harmful Side Effects

Not only are the functions and chemical compositions of these three drugs quite similar, but unfortunately, the risk of Yasmin side effects is essentially the same as well.  After some time on the market, these drugs began to generate reports of serious medical fallout in many women across the United States who had used them.  These side effects included:

• Gallblader Disease
• Heart attacks
• Strokes
• Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)
• Pulmonary Embolisms
• Death

The most prevalent side effects appear to be DVT and pulmonary embolisms, which are somewhat related.  DVT is the process by which blood clots form deep inside the tissue, usually in the legs.  When these clots grow to a certain point, they tend to detach from their original location and travel through the circulatory system, ultimately settling in the tissues around the lungs.  When clots either form or settle in the lung tissue area, they are known as pulmonary embolisms.  If any clot of this sort is not diagnosed early and treated aggressively, it can create a situation of extreme danger for the patient and can ultimately lead to death.

FDA Public Reaction to Effects of Yasmin and Yaz

The government has gotten involved with the after-market regulation of these drugs in several ways, including issuing warnings to Bayer Healthcare regarding potentially misleading advertisements that were running regarding Yaz for its use for off-label purposes.  These uses had included prescriptions for acne and the treatment of the symptoms for premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).

However, the advertisements included content that not only mentioned the use with acne, but also that Yaz was used to help treat the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, or PMS.  Not only was the subtle claim regarding PMS not true, but Yaz had not been approved specifically for these other uses by the FDA.

In addition, the FDA ultimately required a ‘Black Box’ warning to be affixed to containers of these products that clearly warned of their risks and their potential for side effects to develop in those who used them.  To date, defective drugs lawyers have also taken a large number of actions.  Bayer Healthcare has been served with at least 74 legal actions regarding its products links to these side effects.  There has been no Yaz recall as of yet.

Hire an Ocella, Yasmin, and Yaz Lawyer

If you or someone you love has been harmed by the use of Yasmin, Yaz or Ocella, you need to contact the Yaz lawsuit attorneys at the Parilman & Associates Law Firm today to schedule a free initial consultation.