Bayer AG has announced a settlement with plaintiffs who filed a lawsuit claiming they sustained gallbladder harm and pain after using Yasmin and Yaz oral contraceptives. Under the terms of the settlement, Bayer will pay $24 million to settle gallbladder injury lawsuits combined in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, in addition to courts in California, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Bayer will give $2,000 to plaintiffs who experienced gallbladder injuries and $3,000 to patients who had their gallbladders eradicated. Despite the settlement, Bayer said that it did not believe Yaz and Yasmin birth control pills increase the chances of receiving gallbladder disease, compared to different oral contraceptives.
Additionally, Bayer agreed to pay $1 billion to settle complaints filed by 4,800 women who claimed that Yasmin and Yaz created blood clots which caused heart attacks, strokes or other injuries.
In April 2012, the Food and Drug Administration required additional information on birth control labels, including Yasmin and Yaz, to emphasize blood clot warnings.
