NuvaRing Lawsuit
Ryan Bradley | February 20, 2014 | Expertise Areas \ Product Defect
In Missouri, people injured by defective products are allowed to file product liability lawsuits against companies who make those products. Recently, numerous product liability lawsuits have been filed against manufacturers of defective prescription drugs. One such manufacturer is Organon, headquartered in Oss, Netherlands. Organon makes NuvaRing. NuvaRing has been known to cause blood clots, stroke and even death. The basis of these defective drug lawsuits is that Organon knew of serious side effects of NuvaRing, but failed to warn or educate its users of these known side effects. These lawsuits are frequently referred to in Missouri as failure to warn cases.
NuvaRing is a combined vaginal contraceptive and was approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) in 2001. This brand of contraceptive has adverse health effects. Within the past year, numerous lawsuits have been filed against Organon throughout the United States.
As a relatively new “third generation” form of birth control, NuvaRing releases a continuous dose of hormones to prevent pregnancy. It is a flexible ring about 2 inches in diameter and is inserted into the vagina and left in place for three weeks, then removed for a week during which time the user has a menstrual period. The benefits of NuvaRing are touted as convenience, ease of use and exposure to lower levels of estrogen than with “generation two” oral contraceptives or patches. These supposed benefits come with some very serious side effects.
In March of 2008 a New Jersey man filed suit in New Jersey State Court alleging his wife’s death was caused by her use of NuvaRing. Additionally, the husband alleged the makers, marketers and distributors purposely hid this drug’s dangers and health risks.
Two recently conducted clinical studies found 15.1% of women discontinued use of NuvaRing because of adverse side effects.
Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) is a blood clot that forms inside a vein deep in the body. When ones blood thickens and clumps together, a blood clot is formed. Deep vein blood clots can occur throughout the human body, but most of them occur in the lower leg or thigh. A loose clot called embolus is the result of a blood clot in a deep vein breaking off and travel throughout the blood stream. When the clot travels into the lungs and blocks blood flow, the resulting condition is called pulmonary embolism (PE). Thus, a blood clot can lead to a breakdown of organs and tissue and has the possibility of ultimately leading to a need for amputation and even death. Many women using the NuvaRing have experienced these serious side effects and have suffered multiple NuvaRing pulmonary embolisms.
The reported side effects have been forcing women to rethink their birth control choices and have doctors questioning whether the NuvaRing label provides a sufficient warning of the risk of blood clots, pulmonary embolism and various other conditions including stroke or heart attack.
Organon cautioned NuvaRing users regarding the symptoms listed below and recommends women taking NuvaRing should immediately call their healthcare provider if they experience any of these symptoms:
- Sharp chest pain, coughing blood, or sudden shortness of breath (possible clot in the lung)
- Pain in the calf (back of lower leg: possible clot in the leg)
- Crushing chest pain or heaviness in the chest (possible heart attack)
- Sudden severe headache or vomiting, dizziness or fainting, problems with vision or speech, weakness, or numbness in an arm or leg (possible stroke)
- Sudden partial or complete loss of vision (possible clot in the eye)
- Yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes (jaundice), especially with fever, tiredness, loss of appetite, dark colored urine, or light colored bowel movements (possible liver problems)
- Severe pain, swelling, or tenderness in the abdomen (gallbladder or liver problems)
- Sudden fever (usually 102°:F or more), vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, fainting, or a sunburn-like rash on the face or body (very rarely, toxic shock syndrome)
- Breast lumps (possible breast cancer or benign breast disease)
- Irregular vaginal bleeding or spotting that happens in more than 1 menstrual cycle or lasts for more than a few days
- Urgent, frequent, burning and/or painful urination, and cannot locate the ring in the vagina (rarely, inadvertent insertions of NuvaRing®: into the urinary bladder)
- Swelling (edema) of your fingers or ankles
- Difficulty in sleeping, weakness, lack of energy, fatigue, or a change in mood (possible severe depression)
The product liability attorneys at E. Ryan Bradley have conducted extensive research about NuvaRing and are aware of its dangers. Our St. Louis defective drug litigation lawyers are accepting new cases involving serious personal injury or death associated with this drug. If you wish to speak to an experienced Missouri product liability lawyer, contact E. Ryan Bradley in St. Louis, Missouri. As always, it is free to speak to our attorneys.
The following website has additional information you may find helpful regarding NuvaRing:
http://www.druglib.com/ adverse-reactions_side- effects/nuvaring/
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