Claris Law Legal Blogging Community

Editor: Robert Blanchard
Profession: Attorney at Law

Category: Ortho Evra Legal News

To date, there has not been a recall on the Ortho Evra birth control patch, which which was approved by the FDA in 2001 and has been used by more than four million women since that time. There have been hundreds of serious side effects reported by women using the patch, including blood clot, heart attack, plumonary embolism, stroke and more. There have also been a number of deaths reported and more than 100 lawsuits filed against maker Ortho McNeil, a subsidiary of Johnson and Johnson.

The fact that Ortho McNeil has marketed the drug as a safe and easy alternative to regular birth control pills has been misleading and irresponsible. Did this pharmaceutical company do its research? Was the information it received about the risks associated with the Ortho Evra patch reliable?

The families of those who have died while using Ortho Evra want answers. They don't understand why the manufacturer of this drug did not explain that the birth control patch releases up to three times as much estrogen as a regular birth control pill. This amount of estrogen significantly increases the risks of blood clots, which can lead to pulmonary embolisms and death.

In November 2005, the FDA approved an updated label for the Ortho Evra patch, warning doctors and patients of the higher estrogen exposure associated with patch users.