Blood Clots Linked to Yaz, Newer Birth Control Pills

Yet another study has linked certain birth control pills to dangerous blood clots, according to Fox News. The study was of 330,000 Israeli women and found that those women who took pills containing the hormone drospirenone were 43 to 65 percent likelier to experience venous thromboembolisms (VTE) than women who took other pills. VTE is blood clotting that most commonly forms in the veins in the legs but can travel to the lungs and cause a pulmonary embolism. Birth control pills containing drospirenone include Beyaz, Gianvi, Loryna, Ocella, Safyral, Syeda, Yasmin, Yaz, and Zarah.

The results of the study indicated that women taking a pill with drospirenone had a 74% greater chance of experiencing a blood clot than those taking other pills.

A report by the FDA last week also linked birth control pills containing drospirenone to blood clots, including popular drugs Yaz and Yasmin. According to CBS News, the study analyzed the medical histories of over 800,000 women taking birth control pills between 2001 and 2007. The results of the study indicated that women taking a pill with drospirenone had a 74% greater chance of experiencing a blood clot than those taking other pills. While older pills only led to 6 blood clots per 10,000 users, the new versions appear to translate to about 10 cases per 10,000 per year.

Manufactured by the German company Bayer HealthCare, Yaz was approved by the FDA in 2006 and jumped to the top of the sales charts in the United States. Though its sales have dropped some in recent years, the Yaz family of birth control pills has been very profitable for Bayer. These pills were Bayer's second-best-selling group of drugs last year with global sales of $1.6 billion. Of the study results, the head of Bayer’s HealthCare unit said, “We believe that the overall potential risk that Yaz or Beyaz present to patients is absolutely compared with that of other oral contraceptives.”

Blood clots can pose serious risks to the health of anyone, and thus it is unnerving when studies find that popular drugs could be increasing the prevalence of these dangerous medical conditions. If you or a loved one has experienced blood clots, a heart attack, or a stroke while or after taking birth control pills containing drospirenone, you may be entitled to file a lawsuit against the manufacturer. Contact a Yaz blood clot attorney to seek legal recourse and possibly recover compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.