The U.S. Drug Watchdog, a consumer advocate group committed to safety and protection with respect to all pharmaceuticals and prescription drugs, has said that Bayer's Yaz and Yasmin birth control drugs are more dangerous than others – causing strokes, heart attacks, blood clotting and other serious medical conditions. However, the group says that the drug company has done little to warn consumers about the serious and dangerous side effects of Yaz and Yasmin oral contraceptives.
Bayer has done “a poor job at best”
The U.S. Drug Watchdog says that Bayer has done a poor job at best of getting the word out about dangerous Yaz and Yasmin side effects. In a recent press release, the non-profit group said:
[T]hese are two of the most popular birth control drugs in the U.S., and the drug maker has done a poor at best job of getting the word out about potential side effects, which include strokes, heart attacks, blood clotting, and other serious medical conditions.
It says that because of the popularity of these birth control pills, this might be the most important pharmaceutical initiative it has ever been involved in for U.S. women.
FDA warning letters suggest the same
The Watchdog says that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration's (FDA) recent warning letters sent to Bayer about Yaz and Yasmin's misleading marketing and advertising campaigns and manufacturing processes suggest the same. Although Bayer has agreed to pay $20 million to change the adds, the group maintains that the ingredients in Yaz and Yasmin are the real concern. It said:
[T]he FDA notes that the side effects of Yaz/Yasmin are more dangerous than other oral contraceptives because the drug contains drospirenone, a progestin that can elevate potassium levels in the blood. Yaz/Yasmin and its recently approved generic version is the only approved oral contraceptive to contain drospirenone.
It is asking anyone who has been injured to contact them immediately at 866-714-6466.
In the meantime, Yaz and Yasmin attorneys predict that the number of Yaz and Yasmin lawsuits filed against Bayer over these birth control products will reach well over 1,000 by end of 2010.