A Recall Issued For Yaz Was Not Publicized

 Posted on October 11, 2014 in Defective Prescription Drugs

Sometimes prominent drugs are recalled and no one knows about it. This was the case with a 2010 Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recall of the birth control Yaz, a contraceptive approved by the FDA for use among women as young as 14 years old. Yaz and Beyaz—a similar FDA-approved medication made by the same manufacturer, Berlex, Inc.—hit the market when it was approved in 2006, according to Drugs.com. Beyaz is primarily used to treat acne, while Yaz is marketed as the contraceptive. The only warnings on the Yaz website for either drug alert women who smoke and women over the age of 35 to increased risks of blood clot or stroke when taking the drug.

The trouble for the popular contraceptive came in 2010, when lawsuits started to pop up across the country alleging that women who were on the medication experienced a much higher rate of blood clots than the manufacturer had described. Bayer, the parent company for Yaz, was sued in 1,100 lawsuits that year, according to CBSNews.com. When Bayer began to face these lawsuits, Yaz was its best-selling product, according to CBS. As a result, one may think that a recall of the product would have been widely publicized. Not so.

The FDA issued a recall of the drug in November 2009, but it never made consumer headlines. This regardless of the fact that it “involved 32,856 boxes of Yaz, at three packs per box, and 122,208 boxes of Ocella, an identical product,” reports CBS. Despite its magnitude, the recall was hidden in the “Enforcement Report” section of the FDA website, meaning that anyone who wanted to know about the recall would already have had to know to look there.

Since then, many consumers and medical watchdog groups have continued to call for a full recall of Yaz, yet the FDA refuses to do so. An advisory committee has been formed to determine whether or not it should be revisited, but no great strides have been made. Side effects of the drug, in addition to an increased risk of blood clots, can include pulmonary embolisms, heart attacks, strokes, gallbladder disease, and elevated potassium levels, according to WebMD.

If you or someone you know has experienced negative side effects of Yaz and were not alerted to the risks, you may be eligible for compensation. Do not go through it alone. Contact an Arlington Heights defective drug attorney for a free phone consultation today.