Yasmin, the oral contraceptive, was introduced to the market in 2001. The drug's manufacturer, Bayer, marketed the drug as a treatment for acne and severe premenstrual symptoms, in addition to its birth control benefits. The drug was a hit, bringing in $1.47 billion in sales during 2010 alone.
Although the drug was a financial success, it came with a price-deadly side effects. The drug has been linked to an increased risk of blood clots that often result in heart attacks and strokes. As a result, since 2009, Bayer has been hit with a barrage of lawsuits claiming that it failed to warn consumers of the drug's health risk and that it knew or should have known of the adverse side effects.
As a result of the litigation, Bayer recently announced that it has reached agreements to pay $1 billion in settlements to 4,800 women in the United States who say they were harmed by taking Yasmin or Yaz (its sister drug). The company is only settling claims for blood clot injuries. Currently, there are about 10,000 lawsuits that are pending against the manufacturer.
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