The long-awaited Food and Drug Administration (FDA) panel discussion on Yaz took place in December. Experts weighed in on studies and statistics linking the Yaz birth control pill to blood clots, strokes and even death in women. You have no doubt heard of the thousands of lawsuits in courts across the country accusing the manufacturer, Bayer, of failing to disclose the known risks of the birth control pill.
The panel decided in a 21-5 decision to instruct Bayer to improve the labeling on the Yaz packaging. The new label will make clearer the health risks linked to the pill, specifically blood clots in the lungs and legs. The injuries have definitely hurt Yaz’s popularity, as the number of prescriptions dropped by over 80 percent in the last two years.
Despite the known risks and thousands of injured women, the panel voted to keep the drug on the market. Yaz is an effective method of birth control, according to panel members who voted to keep the drug on the market. However, one expert remarked that Yaz has failed to help any significant group of women and the risks do not outweigh the benefits.
If you are a current Yaz user, will you continue taking the medication now that the FDA decided to keep it on the market?
Colson Hicks Eidson – Florida attorneys