Product Liability

August 21, 2009

Yasmin, YAZ, Ocella Birth Control Personal Injuries

YAZ, also known as Yasmin or by its generic name Ocella is a birth control pill originally developed and manufactured by Berlex Laboratories, (a U.S affiliate of Schering AG).

YAZ, Yasmin, Ocella (drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol) is a combination birth control pill which contain two types of hormones: estrogen and a progestin. It is the only 24/4-day pill with the unique hormone, drospirenone (drsp) and its manufacturer claims that the product provides additional health benefits other then pregnancy prevention.

August 20, 2009

Fleet Phospho Soda and Kidney Damage

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Fleet Phospho Soda, a laxative product used for varying applications, was the subject of a December 2008 consumer alert from the FDA (the U.S. Food and Drug Administration). The alert warned that the use of phosphate-based laxatives such as Fleet Phospho Soda could result in kidney failure, even among individuals who do not have a medical condition that puts them at risk for kidney failure.

Fleet Phospho Soda is available without a prescription, it is a non-prescription laxative. It is widely used to clean the intestines before a colonoscopy and other medical procedures.

The Phospho Soda works by drawing fluid from the rest of the body into the colon; if an individual does not consume enough water or other fluids during Phospho Soda use, he or she may become dehydrated. The individual’s level of phosphate salts in the kidneys may also become too high — a development that can result in a type of kidney damage called acute phosphate nephropathy (APN).

August 20, 2009

Yaz and Yasmin Linked to Pulmonary Embolism, Heart Attacks and Strokes

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Yaz is a relatively new oral birth control medication. But an unfortunate number of patients have found, Yaz also causes serious, and life-threatening side effects including pulmonary embolism (blood clots to the lung), heart attack and stroke.

Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. – the drug’s manufacturer – before being regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in a recent mandate, marketed Yaz which minimized these very serious side effects, and misleading millions of women about the safety of this medication.

If you’re taking the prescription medication Yaz or Yasmin, also manufactured by Bayer, and have had any of the side effects associated with these compounds, you may be entitled to compensation.

August 19, 2009

Yaz Lawsuits and Gallbladder Problems

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Reports are now surfacing that women using Yasmin and Yaz birth control pills are developing gallbladder problems. Some women have had to undergo gall bladder removal surgery due to gallstones. Gall bladder disease includes inflammation, infection, stones, or obstruction of the gallbladder. There are two main types of gallbladder disease: cholecystitis (inflammation of the gallbladder) and cholelithiasis (gallstones).

We are currently evaluating and representing women who have suffered from gallbladder complications while on Yasmin birth control including gallbladder removal.

August 19, 2009

Federal Lawsuits: Yasmin/Yaz Responsible for Blood Clots

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Recent reports have noted possible dangers of Yasmin/Yaz in persons with some preexisting conditions. Federal lawsuits filed recently allege that since Yasmin and Yaz have been available, there have been over 50 related deaths and hundreds of serious health concerns due to complications with the medicine.

Yasmin and Yaz lawsuits filed allege that Bayer failed to adequately warn about the increased risk of serious heart and health problems associated with their birth control when compared to other available pills. They not only minimized the blood clot risk with Yaz and Yasmin, but also heavily marketing the drugs through deceptive advertisements designed to encourage doctors and patients to use their birth control pill over other available forms that may not present as great of a risk.

August 19, 2009

Avandia Death Risk and Lawsuits

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Avandia, an oral medication produced by GlaxoSmithKline, improves control of blood glucose levels in individuals with type-2 diabetes. Despite its ability to make insulin receptors more sensitive, Avandia does have some serious associated risks, as it can increase the chances that patients’ develop:

* stroke
* congestive heart failure
* heart attack
* liver toxicity
* severe allergic reactions

August 18, 2009

Update on Yaz and Yasmin Side Effect Lawsuits

by Dr. Shezad Malik

A panel of federal judges will hear arguments later in September to determine whether all federal lawsuits against Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corporation over serious and potentially life threatening side effects of Yaz and Yasmin birth control should be centralized and consolidated in one district for coordinated handling as part of an MDL, or Multidistrict Litigation.

According to a notice recently issued by the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, a hearing will be held on September 24 to consider whether the cases filed in various federal districts throughout the United States involve sufficiently common questions of fact and whether consolidation is appropriate.

August 18, 2009

Yaz and Yasmin Blood Clot Risk

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Yasmin was first approved by The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in 2001 for women to use as birth control.

In 2008, the FDA issued Bayer Corp. a warning letter regarding false claims made in two Yaz television commercials. These false claims involved the ability of Yaz to treat premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and all types of acne. As a result, the company stopped running the ads, and later embarked on an advertising campaign that corrected the deceptive claims made in those commercials.

Yasmin has been associated with:

– Pulmonary Embolism (PE)
– Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)
– Heart Attack
– Stroke
– Death

August 17, 2009

Paxil Side Effects and Birth Defects

by Dr. Shezad Malik

New studies point to an increased risk of Paxil birth defects in babies whose mothers use the antidepressant during pregnancy. According to the findings of two studies, women who were taking Paxil during their first trimester were one and a half to two times more likely to have a baby with a heart defect than women who were taking other antidepressants or women of the general population.

A study published in the February 2006 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine found that maternal use of the antidepressant Paxil increased the risk—by as much as six times—of a birth defect known as persistent pulmonary hypertension, or PPHN.

Babies born with PPHN have difficulty circulating oxygen through their bodies because of constricted blood vessels in the heart and lungs.

August 16, 2009

Yasmin, Yaz, Ocella Side Effects and Lawsuits

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Yasmin and Yaz are two types of birth control oral contraceptive pills manufactured by Bayer Healthcare, and the generic, Ocella, is marketed and distributed by Barr Laboratories, Inc. Yasmin and Yaz contain the same estrogenic compound, ethinyl estradiol, that has been used in oral contraceptive “The Pill” since the 1970s, but the progestin in Yasmin and Yaz is new. Yasmin and Yaz both contain drospirenone, a “fourth generation” progestin – no other birth control oral contraceptive pills contain drospirenone, except for a recently approved generic version, Ocella.

If you have side effects from using these medications you can report them to the FDA.