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Birth control medication is supposed to prevent an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy—not cause serious blood clots, heart attacks, strokes, or death.

Yaz, a similar but newer version of the “fourth generation” contraceptive Yasmin promises more than birth control. Approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2006, the pill’s maker, Bayer, declared it’s also the remedy for premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Not only will it alleviate the nasty emotional and physical symptoms of PMDD, it will also treat acne.

This multifaceted drug seems too good to be true and it is. Yaz lawsuits are streaming in from women around the U.S. claiming horrible side effects from the contraceptive pill: blood clots, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, strokes, heart attacks, and death.

Five years prior to FDA approval, Yaz’s predecessor, Yasmin was scrutinized and cited in Europe for causing the same afflictions. The Dutch College of General Practitioners took a cautionary but staunch approach that recommended prescribing “second generation” birth control pills instead of “fourth generation” ones. The latter group contains progestin drospirenone (DRSP), a synthetic form of progestin that might be the impetus for blood clots and other life threatening maladies.

According to the federal agency, drospirenone is linked to hyperkalemia, a condition caused by exorbitant amounts of potassium in the blood. In high-risk patients this could lead to critical heart and health problems. Obviously, women who are predisposed to hyperkalemia must avoid Yaz, Yasmin, and the generic, Ocella.

As with many misleading advertising campaigns, the FDA criticized Bayer for deceptive claims and overstating Yaz’s benefits…such as for acne use.

In a 2008 letter, the agency warned Bayer that two Yaz television ads contained ‘fast moving images and background music that might be distracting to viewers’ while the side effects part was running. An example is fatal blood clot information quickly given while various images danced across the screen.

One ad featured women singing “we’re not gonna take it” while kicking, punching, and pushing balloons imprinted with words such as ‘moodiness’, ‘bloating’, and ‘irritability,’ all typical symptoms associated with PMS.

Another ad has a melodic song “Good Bye to You” with the ladies releasing the same silly balloons. Would someone watching actually believe that Yaz could relieve all the PMS symptoms scribbled on the balloons? Apparently.

“These complex presentations distract from and make it difficult for viewers to process and comprehend the important risks being conveyed. This is particularly troubling as some of the risks being conveyed are serious, even life threatening,” the letter said.

Whether or not consumers buy into this type of hype, Bayer was slapped with a $20 million dollar mandate by the FDA to “remedy” their misleading information. Aside from a more truthful advertising campaign, they must receive FDA approval before airing future television spots.

Bayer must also comply with the agency on TV and print ad suggestions; and “clearly and conspicuously” disclose what the FDA has approved in its print ads regarding which symptoms Yaz can treat, according to BizJournal.

Will this make a difference? $20 million of new advertising won’t help the women presently suffering. Hopefully, our legal system will.

The controversial swine flu vaccine contains a lethal brain toxin associated with Alzheimer’s disease, autism, and multiple sclerosis, according to Britain’s Sunday Express publication.

Five years ago, mercury, a vaccine preservative, was eliminated from childhood shots in the U.K. after relating the heavy metal to brain damage. The Express reports that the new pandemic vaccine not only contains mercury, but also squalene, a chemical used to stimulate the immune system for better interaction with the shot.

Squalene debuted in the anthrax vaccine given to U.S. and British soldiers during the 1991 Gulf War. Many attributed permanent neurological damage or “Gulf War Syndrome” to the chemical. Female soldiers were warned not to risk pregnancy for at least 18 months because of possible birth defects.

Also, skeptical scientists fear squalene is linked to autoimmune diseases including lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis.

Britain’s medical and health care professionals are wary about the combination of questionable chemicals in the vaccine—especially since approximately 11 million “at risk” (asthmatic, heart patients, compromised immune system) residents could receive the ‘jab’ soon.

Dr. Richard Halvorsen, author of The Truth About Vaccines, stated: “Mercury is one of the most toxic substances known to man. It should not have a place in any vaccine for anyone of any age.”

The founder of Jabs, Jackie Fletcher, said, “Mercury is a known neurotoxin. Nobody knows what amount people can cope with—however small.” The Jabs organization focuses on vaccine dangers.

GlaxoSmithKline, one of the swine flu manufacturers said mercury was necessary to prevent contamination and that squalene was safe. A spokeswoman contended that ‘no severe adverse events have been associated with it.’ Baxters, another maker, refused to divulge their vaccine ingredients.

A Department of Health spokeswoman stressed, “It is extremely irresponsible to suggest that the UK would use a vaccine without careful consideration of safety issues. The UK has one of the most successful immunisation programmes (sic) in the world.”

Alarming safety concerns from the beginning—blood clots, venous and pulmonary thrombosis, stroke, heart attack—and now personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits. There are definitely better ways to prevent pregnancy.

Oral contraceptives, Yasmin and its generic version, Ocella, came under fire soon after European approval in 2000. Reports of Pulmonary Embolism (PE) and Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) prompted Dutch physicians to alert their colleagues of early possible trouble.

In April, 2002, a week before Yasmin was to make its United Kingdom debut, a British Medical Journal article stated that ‘Dutch GPs were being advised by their own professional body not to prescribe a new low dose, monophasic oral contraceptive, marketed under the name Yasmin, until studies have established whether it’s as safe as other contraceptive pills.’

The questionable medication contains 30-mcg ethinylestrdiol and 3 mg drospirenone. Progestin drospirenone (DRSP) is considered a “fourth generation” classification and could be the problematic ingredient.

The Dutch College of General Practitioners contends that ‘second generation’ pills are the prudent choice since Yasmin lacks epidemiological data on thrombosis danger. Also, over 40 cases of venous thrombosis among women taking Yasmin have been reported in Europe.

Two were fatal including a 17-year-old Dutch woman who collapsed and died after a six-month prescription. The autopsy revealed she died of a massive pulmonary embolism although she had no previous risk factors for thromboembolism.

Other troubling Dutch cases include a 28-year-old patient who switched birth control pills from Marvelon (ethinylestradiol with desogestrel) to Yasmin (ethinylestradiol with drospirenone). She developed thrombosis in one leg a few months later.

A 45-year-old woman developed deep vein thrombosis, also in one leg, after taking Yasmin for two months, as did a slightly older female who was on the pill for three months.
It took only 17 days for a 35-year-old to suffer pulmonary thrombosis while on Yasmin.

These suspected adverse drug reactions were cited in the February 2003 copy of the BMJ titled “Thromboembolism associated with the new contraceptive Yasmin”.

Why, then, did the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approve Yasmin and its similar but newer version YAZ, another “fourth generation” drug? Now undeserving American women are plagued with blood clots, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, stroke and heart attack associated with Yasmin, Ocella and Yaz side effects.

The judicial system will sort that out….but it will be too late for some.

All this was preventable had the FDA paid closer attention to the European medical community and the unfortunate Yasmin victims there.