New Yaz decision will hear from 100 oldest cases of injury

The drug and medical device safety lawyers at Zoll, Kranz and Borgess were very interested to learn that Judge David R. Herndon, the judge who is overseeing all of the Yaz and Yasmin cases in the United States federal court system, has expanded the scope of discovery beyond the 24 cases selected last year to serve as a pool of bellwether lawsuits.

This means that the U.S. District Court judge is allowing discovery for the 100 oldest cases filed, which would include depositions from the women who suffered injuries due to Yaz birth control.

And since Zoll, Kranz and Borgess was one of the first firms to file complaints on behalf of women experiencing problems like pulmonary embolism, stroke and gall bladder disease during or after taking Yaz, we are expecting that as many as 20 of our clients will be disposed and asked to tell their story.

If you are a woman who has enlisted the help of Zoll, Kranz and Borgess to take on the Bayer Corporation, and your case is chosen for discovery, expect to hear from us shortly.

For those women who are not familiar with the cases, Yaz, Yasmin and Ocella birth controls have been under scrutiny since the FDA issued a warning to their manufacturer, Bayer Corporation. The FDA publicly chastised the company for failing to properly research the drug before making claims that it was the best option for birth control.

Yaz’s adverstising campaigns featured women dancing to the song, “We’re not going to take it,” while punching and kicking animated words like, “irritability,” “moodiness” and “feeling anxious,” implying that the drug could cure the feelings that women commonly have once a month. Yet these are symptoms of pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS), not Premenstrual dysphoric disorder, which is a more severe disorder where women suffer from serious emotional problems that are closely linked to the pre-menstrual cycle.

The misleading ads led women to believe that Yaz would be the perfect treatment for PMS, when in reality:

1. There were no clinical studies to prove that Yaz is a good treatment for PMS

2. Yaz was actually formulated to treat PPD, but still not clinically proven to do so in more than three menstrual cycles

In addition to the misleading TV ads, the FDA accused Bayer Corporation of the following:

- Overstating the effectiveness of Yaz

- Broadening Yaz’s indication (i.e. claiming that it can treat PMS when it cannot)

- Claiming that Yaz was superior to other similar products on the market when there were no clinical studies or other forms of proof to support the claim

And, most importantly….

- Minimizing the risks associated with the use of Yaz

This last claim is one that the drug and medical device advocates at Zoll, Kranz and Borgess believe is the hardest pill to swallow. Thousands of women watched this catchy, colorful ad; asked their doctors for a prescription for Yaz birth control in hopes to cure their PMS symptoms; and then ended up with horrific injuries like:

- Pulmonary embolism, or a blockage of the main artery of the lung typically caused by a blood clot

- Deep Vein Thrombosis, or a blood clot in the deep veins of the leg

- Stroke

- Heart attack

- Gallbladder disease

Not only are these injuries horrific and life-threatening, but they are also happening to non-smoking, active and otherwise healthy young women.

If you are a woman who at any time took the birth control pill Yaz and you have experienced any of these serious medical problems, contact drug advocate for safety, Attorney Michelle Kranz, toll-free at 888.841.9623 or via email at michelle@toledolaw.com.