Nurse Charges Dangerous Yaz Birth Control Drug “Altered My Life”

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kent L. Klaudt of the national plaintiffs’ law firm Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP announced that Candice Atkinson today filed a personal injury lawsuit against Bayer Corporation and Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals, Inc., for severe side effects from the prescription birth control drug Yaz, manufactured and marketed by Bayer. The complaint was filed in the Superior Court of New Jersey, where Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals, Inc., is located.

Atkinson, age 33 of Rock Hill, South Carolina, charges that Yaz is a dangerous prescription drug sold without adequate warnings about the risk of serious injuries. Atkinson further alleges that Bayer improperly advertised and over-promoted Yaz for uses such as treating acne, knowing that the risks of such use outweighed any benefits Yaz may have for acne sufferers.

“Bayer promoted Yaz with the slogan ‘the difference a little chemistry can make,’” added Mrs. Atkinson. “What Bayer did not disclose was how negative that difference can be. Yaz gave me life-threatening injuries that have forever altered my life.”

“My dermatologist prescribed me Yaz in March 2008 to treat my acne,” stated Ms. Atkinson. “At the time, I was unaware that Yaz had not been approved by the FDA to treat skin conditions for women who were not already using it as birth control, even though Bayer advertised it for preventing or reducing acne.”

“Several months later, I developed sharp pains in my left shoulder and had difficulty breathing,” Atkinson continued. “I went to my doctor for an examination. Testing revealed multiple blood clots in both lungs. I was hospitalized immediately. Fortunately, the treatments eliminated the blood clots, but only one month later I was diagnosed with gallstones. I then had to undergo gall bladder surgery in January 2009. I have suffered months of anxiety and nausea related to these medical procedures and drugs given to treat the adverse side effects I developed from taking Yaz.”

The complaint charges that Mrs. Atkinson would never have developed blood clots, been hospitalized, or forced to undergo numerous medical tests, procedures, and gall bladder surgery if Bayer had properly warned patients of the dangers of using Yaz solely as acne medication. The complaint alleges that Mrs. Atkinson never used Yaz for birth control. Instead, as a result of Bayer’s misleading advertisements to doctors and consumers, her dermatologist gave her Yaz solely for her acne.

“The FDA’s adverse event database for Yaz and Yasmin reveal a very high number of serious adverse events associated with these drugs, including strokes, heart attacks, blood clot formation, gallbladder and kidney disease, and sometimes death,” commented Mr. Klaudt. “Bayer failed to warn doctors and consumers that Yaz and Yasmin are actually more dangerous than previous generations of oral contraception pills...”

Legal Resources for Patients Injured By Yaz and Yasmin Birth Control Drugs

The law in most states provides several personal injury claims for persons who have been seriously injured by a medical device or prescription drug with dangerous, undisclosed side effects. If you or a family member have suffered a serious injury or a loved one died after being prescribed Yasmin or Yaz, please visit http://www.personalinjurylawyeramerica.com/medical/yasmin-yaz.htm to learn more about your legal rights and submit a complaint. Personal injury lawyers at Lieff Cabraser will promptly review each case submitted without charge or obligation.

About Lieff Cabraser

Founded in 1972, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP is an over fifty attorney law firm with offices in San Francisco, New York and Nashville. For the last seven years, the National Law Journal has recognized Lieff Cabraser as one of the top plaintiffs' law firms in America.

For our personal injury cases, we bring a team of experienced lawyers. Each client is assigned an individual lawyer. In addition, we have on staff multiple nurses, legal assistants, scientific analysts and case clerks to assist the attorneys. Learn more about our firm.