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Yaz, Yasmin, Trasylol And Rapamune Injuries

Northwest Indiana Drug Injury Attorneys

Pharmaceutical companies bear a responsibility to produce drugs that are safe for patients and consumers. However, large drug companies are all too often more concerned with profits than patient safety. By failing to disclose potential side effects, manufacturers make medical practitioners unaware of dangers to patients. Such is the case with the pharmaceutical drugs Yaz, Yasmin, Trasylol and Rapamune. If these drugs caused adverse serious side effects to you or a loved one, consult an experienced Northwest Indiana drug injury lawyer at Theodoros & Rooth, P.C., about the prospects of pursuing a lawsuit.

Your initial consultation is free and confidential – call 219-733-8633 today!

Yaz And Yasmin: Side Effects And Deaths

In July 2012, Bloomberg Business Week reported that Bayer paid over $402 million in Yaz and Yasmin settlements to women who suffered adverse effects from these birth control pills. One category of women suffering from blood clots averaged around $212,000 a case. Attorneys pursue class action lawsuits for their clients’ injury and Bayer has set aside millions of dollars to cover the settlements. Yaz and Yasmin contain drospirenone, which is used for birth control and hormone replacement therapy. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also approved its use for premenstrual problems and acne treatment. Women taking Yaz and Yasmin for birth control are six to seven times more at risk for developing blood clots than women who do not take contraceptives. The problem with drospirenone is that it can increase potassium to non-optimum levels. Yaz and Yasmin have been linked to the following side effects, caused by increased potassium:

  • Heart attack
  • Stroke
  • Pulmonary blood clots
  • Death

Trasylol Dangers

Trasylol is another Bayer product, and surgeons use it during heart bypass and other surgeries to control bleeding. The FDA requested Bayer quit producing Trasylol in 2007, after a study by the Ottawa Health Institute in Canada indicated it put patients at risk of death. Drug risks were so perilous that researchers put a halt to the study. The television program 60 Minutes also ran a segment on Trasylol and its adverse side effects. The potential adverse effects from Trasylol may include the following:

  • Blood clots
  • Strokes
  • Heart attack
  • Pulmonary blood clots
  • Death

Trasylol is not necessary for heart surgery and its potential side effects far outweigh its value. There are other ways surgeons can control bleeding that are much safer. Heart disease patients with hardening of the arteries who required heart bypasses and other surgeries to treat clogged arteries were most likely to receive Trasylol injections and suffer its side effects.

Rapamune Side Effects

Rapamune is a drug the FDA approved for use as an immunosuppressant following kidney transplants to keep patients’ bodies from rejecting donors’ tissue. This was the only FDA-approved use of Rapamune. However, physicians prescribed Rapamune for other off-label uses subsequent to liver, pancreas, heart, and lung transplants. Yet, studies show a high risk of death among liver transplant patients, and the FDA issued warnings against off-label use. The company that produces Rapamune, Wyeth, misrepresented the drug to physicians and hospitals by promoting off-label use. In fact, the company trained its sales representatives to market Rapamune for purposes that were not FDA-approved. Patients suffered needless exposure to Rapamune side effects, such as:

  • Anemia
  • Bone marrow suppression
  • Blood clots
  • Liver failure
  • Discontinuance of proper treatment
  • Wounds prevented from healing
  • Blood platelet deficiency

If you or a loved one suffered adverse side effects from Yaz, Yasmin, Trasylol or Rapamune, get a legal opinion from a qualified Northwest Indiana drug injury attorney and find out about your recourse to recover damages.

We are here to help you. Call Theodoros & Rooth, P.C., today at 219-733-8633.