Ortho Evra Settlement Reported for $1.25 Million
Bloomberg News reports that Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay $1.25 million to settle one Ortho Evra birth control patch lawsuit. The details of the confidential agreement were made public after the news agency received a copy of settlement documents from a court clerk. Although it was known that other cases have settled, this is the first public report about the amount paid on any individual Ortho Evra settlement.
>>INFORMATION: Ortho Evra Lawsuits
Ortho Evra is a form of birth control which is delivered through a patch placed on the skin. It was introduced in 2002 by Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc., a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. Although the manufacturers were aware that the patch could deliver dangerous levels of estrogen, they failed to warn users about the risk of potentially fatal blood clots for several years.
In November 2005, the warning label was amended to indicate that the patch delivers 60% more estrogen than birth control pills. In September 2006, further warnings were added about the increased risk of blood clots. However, many still feel that the warnings are inadequate and some experts have indicated that there should be an Ortho Evra recall.
ORTHO EVRA LAWSUITS
According to the Bloomberg article, the Ortho Evra settlement involved a 14 year old girl who suffered two blood clots in her lungs in 2004 after using the patch for several weeks. The case was settled in April 2007.
Approximately 5 million women have used the birth control patch, and Johnson & Johnson currently faces about 2,400 Ortho Evra lawsuits nationwide for individuals who have suffered heart attacks, strokes, blood clots, deep vein thrombosis (dvt), pulmonary embolisms and death.
A spokeswoman for Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc. indicated in the Bloomberg article that “[t]he company is continuing to defend these claims, except where settlement is deemed appropriate.”
They have settled other birth control patch lawsuits on the eve of trial, which has kept the public from hearing about how the pharmaceutical giant handled the safety concerns which were expressed by some of their employees. Another lawsuit, for an 18 year old girl who died after using the patch, was settled on October 11, approximately 30 days before it was set to be the first Ortho Evra trial in the country. The next lawsuit which is scheduled to go to trial is in February 2008. That case involves the death of a 17 year old girl.
ORTHO EVRA LAWYERS
The Ortho Evra lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. are continuing to review potential lawsuits for individuals who have experienced problems as a result of the birth control patch side effects. If you, a friend or family member have suffered a heart attack, stroke, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism or blood clots, request a free consultation and claim evaluation.
