Bayer Says They've Paid Out $142 Million In Yasmin Birth Control Settlements So Far

Bayer says they’ve been shelling out some serious dough, $142 million to be exact, to settle around 651 U.S. cases involving their Yasmin and Yaz birth control pills. Consumers in those cases allege that the pills caused blood clots, which can sometimes be fatal or lead to heart attacks and strokes. That’s around $218,000 per woman, on average.

Bloomberg says the Germany-based company cited the numbers in its newest Stockholders’ Newsletter. Those payouts are only for the U.S. cases so far — analysts have estimated it will pay more than $2.65 billion total to resolve all the cases out there.

“Bayer is only settling claims in the U.S. for venous clot injuries (deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism) after a case specific analysis of medical records,” the company said in the report.

As of April 18, Bayer was facing 11,900 lawsuits over Yaz and Yasmin in the U.S., involving around 14,000 plaintiffs. But fewer than half of those cases brought include the injuries Bayer is paying out over.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ordered Bayer and other contraceptive makers to include stronger blood-clot warnings on their products. The synthetic hormone in Yasmin may triple the risk for clots, say researchers.

Bayer isn’t admitting any wrongdoing in the settlements, however.

Bayer Yasmin Lawsuit Settlements Climb to $142 Million [Bloomberg]

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