Ortho Evra
December 19, 2006Couple files birth control patch lawsuit in Illinois
An Illinois couple has filed a $1.3 million Ortho Evra lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary, Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceuticals, the maker of the Ortho Evra birth control patch. Carla Fletcher claims that using the Ortho Evra patch caused her to suffer birth control patch side effects that have left her severely and permanently injured. Her husband Jason is also seeking damages for loss of consortium.According to their Ortho Evra lawsuit, Mrs. Fletcher suffered deep vein thrombosis after using the patch, a common birth control patch side effect. In addition, the lawsuit states that because of her birth control patch injuries, she faces an increased risk of several serious conditions, including pulmonary embolisms, myocardial infarctions, blood clots, coma and even death.
The birth control patch lawsuit says that Ortho-McNeil and Johnson & Johnson relied on studies of birth control pills and did not perform enough trials on the side effects of the Ortho Evra patch. As a result, the companies were providing women who used the Ortho Evra patch with faulty safety information that did not adequately warn them of its risk of causing birth control patch injuries.
Compared with the pill, the Ortho Evra patch releases a 60% higher dose of estrogen into the bloodstream, which can increase clotting risk and lead to birth control patch side effects. The Fletchers’ Ortho Evra lawsuit contends that the two companies were aware of Ortho Evra’s risk for birth control patch side effects from the increased estrogen dose but failed to warn consumers.
More than 1,000 Ortho Evra lawsuits have been filed already against Johnson & Johnson and Ortho-McNeil. In September, the Food and Drug Administration issued a new warning label for the Ortho Evra patch after a study revealed that using it can double a woman’s risk for birth control patch injuries from blood clots.