A woman has filed a California dangerous drug lawsuit against pharmaceutical company Bayer. Susan Galinis claims that the Yaz birth control pill caused her stroke in June 2008.
Her Yaz lawsuit accuses the pharmaceutical company of failing to properly research the contraceptive and neglecting to warn about the stroke risk. In 2008, the Food and Drug Administration cited Bayer for what it called misleading and false advertising that failed to properly describe side effects and overstated the ways in which the pill had been approved for use.
Galinis, 39, was taking Yaz to alleviate premenstrual cramp pain. She had been using the contraceptive for 29 days when she had the stroke. To save her life, doctors had to remove part of her brain and skull. She was confined to the hospital for six months.
Her IQ is now 77, which is considered borderline mental retardation, and she has no short-term memory.
As of October 8, at least 129 products liability lawsuits have been filed against Bayer over Yas and Yasmin. The latter is an older version of the Yaz pill.
Just last month another woman sued Bayer for blood clotting injuries that she says caused her unborn daughter's stillbirth. Candice Richardson, who was prescribe Yaz/Yasmin, was 27 weeks pregnant at the time. Her wrongful death lawsuit names Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc., Bayer Corp., and Bayer Healthcare LLC as the defendants.
Richardson is alleging California products liability, including design and manufacturing defect, negligence, inadequate warning, Deceptive Trade Practices Act violations, negligent misrepresentation, and breach of warranties.
Drug makers are obligated to make sure that the medications that they manufacture are free from defect and are not dangerous for users. They also must specify how the drug must be used and notify users of the possible side effects and risks that can arise.
Bayer Goes to Court over Yaz, LawyersandSettlements, October 20, 2009
Woman alleges pill caused death of unborn baby, sues drug maker, The Southeast Texas Record, September 29, 2009
Yaz Stroke Lawsuit Filed in California, About Lawsuits, October 20, 2009
Related Web Resources:
Yaz
A Birth Control Pill That Promised Too Much, NY Times, February 10, 2009
Our Orange County, California dangerous drug law firm represents clients who were seriously injured, became ill, or died because a drug was defective, not properly marketed, labeled incorrectly, or dangerous.
