Yaz and Yasmin are suspected – though not proven – to be responsible for the deaths of 23 Canadian women. The Bayer-owned brands are among the two most prescribed birth control pills in the world. All twenty three of these women died suddenly from blood clots, which Health Canada identified in 2011 as a potential risk of using Yaz/Yasmine, claiming that the drospirenone-filled pills put women at a 1.5 – 3 times higher risk of clotting than other brands of birth control. 

More than half of these deaths occurred in women under 26, with the youngest victim being only 14. Tony Merchant, class action lawyer, suspects that these deaths are just “the tip of the iceberg.” He believes that many doctors do not immediately make the connection between these incidences of fatal blood clotting and the usage of Yaz/Yasmin.

Bayer, who are set to appear in court September 4th, are standing by their brand. In a statement they said:

“We are very disappointed in Justice Crane’s decision to certify a class in Ontario in an ongoing lawsuit regarding Yaz and Yasmin. No decision has been made on the merits of the case. We have filed a request with the Court for leave to appeal the decision and are evaluating our legal options… At Bayer patient safety comes first and we fully stand behind, Yaz and Yasmin.”

[via CBC]

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 Jeremy Schipper is an intern at Toronto Standard. You can follow him on Twitter at @jeromeoschipps.

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