Idaho Woman Files Ortho Evra Lawsuit
An Idaho woman has filed a lawsuit against the makers of the Ortho Evra birth control patch, Ortho McNeil. This 34-year-old woman used Ortho Evra for less than two years before she developed a serious and life threatening condition called severe pulmonary embolism, caused by the birth control patch.
Upon diagnosis of this grave Ortho Evra side effect, this woman was hospitalized for six days. Doctors predict she may require anticoagulant therapy for the rest of her life.
This Ortho Evra case is one among dozens that have been filed on behalf of otherwise healthy women who developed life-threatening injuries caused by the dangerous and arguably defective birth control patch. Other Ortho Evra users have suffered deep vein thrombosis (blood clots in the deep veins of the legs or pelvis), pulmonary embolism (the blood clot breaks off and travels to the lungs), stroke, heart attack, and even death.
Ortho McNeil, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, has known about the serious risks posed by Ortho Evra for a very long time. However, the company has grossly failed to adequately protect its users from serious injury.
In November 2005, the pharmaceutical company released evidence that the Ortho Evra birth control patch exposes women to 60 percent more estrogen than oral contraceptives. This increased estrogen exposure drastically increases the risk of thrombotic adverse events, such as those experienced by injured Ortho Evra users.
The FDA estimates that over four million women have used this dangerous drug since it was first approved in November 2001.
Ortho McNeil continues to aggressively market Ortho Evra to consumers and physicians.