Yaz Pulmonary Embolism Lawsuits on the Rise

Yaz birth control, despite the many controversies surrounding it, continues to be one of the most popular forms of hormonal birth control used across the country. Women continue to experience severe cardiovascular Yaz side effects from the drospirenone-based fourth generation birth control pill, but more and more people – especially teenagers and young women – continue to use the potentially dangerous medication on a regular basis, despite the growing number of Yaz lawsuit directed towards its drugmaker, Bayer Pharmaceuticals.

Pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis, and cor pulmonale are all conditions that can develop from blood clots, depending where they are located in the body. Yaz Deep Vein Thrombosis occurs when a blood clot forms in a vein deep in the body, usually in the leg. Blood clots here can travel through the body to block an artery to the lung and potentially cause pulmonary embolism.
Pulmonary embolism can cause permanent damage and even, in some cases, death. Cor pulmonale is a condition characterized by the failure of the right side of the heart, usually caused by long-term high blood pressure in pulmonary arteries, also known as pulmonary hypertension. Cor pulmonale can be caused by chronic blood clots in the lungs, also known as pulmonary embolism. Plaintiff Tiffany Littles claims to have experienced all three of these conditions after starting a Yaz regimen in July of 2008. Littles is now suing Bayer for damages associated with medical bills and emotional distress, as are many plaintiffs involved in Yaz litigation.

So many women have filed lawsuits against Bayer because of side effects they have experienced as a result of taking Yaz that these lawsuits have been consolidated in multidistrict litigation, a process that should help the legal process be more streamlined, helping plaintiff and defendant come to a settlement more quickly. The first of the federal bellwether trials in this situation is scheduled to begin in January of next year, and the outcome of this case will be essential for plaintiffs and the defendant to determine how Yaz and Yasmin cases are likely to play out in the future. The bellwether trial might also have an impact on Bayer’s decision to distribute out-of-court settlements.