If mediation fails between Bayer and lawyers for the defendant, the first Yaz/Yasmin trial against the drug company will start on April 30. U.S. District Judge David Herndon ordered the mediation earlier this month in an attempt to settle the mounting lawsuits. But in a Jan. 10th clarification of a Dec. 31st order, he warned that if Bayer and plaintiffs don’t act in good faith, he would remand cases to districts where they began.

The order held at bay nine “bellwether trials” that would have paved the way for the mass settlement of more than 10,000 lawsuits against Bayer for its top selling birth control pills, Yaz and Yasmin. The lawsuits accuse Bayer of misleading women about the safety risks associated with its oral contraceptives.

Yaz and Yasmin are a newer generation of birth control pills that contain the hormone drospirenone. Since the drugs were introduced to the market, generic brands and other formulations of birth control pills containing drospirenone have entered the market.

All birth control pills carry a slight risk for blood clots, but new studies suggest that the risk is even greater with birth control pills that contain drospirenone. A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expert panel recently reviewed the studies and recommended that the pills’ labels carry stronger warnings about the blood clot risk.

Yaz and Yasmin became the top selling birth control pills in the United States with a staggering $1.58 billion in sales in 2010.

Source: The Madison St. Clair Record

Related posts:

1. First Yaz lawsuit ordered to mediation for potential settlement
2. Health Canada reviewing data linking Yaz to greater risk of blood clots
3. New studies show increased risk of blood clots with Yaz
4. Yaz, Yasmin puts women at greater risk for gallbladder damage
5. Are birth control pills for acne treatment a good idea?