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.
6 Comments • Add Your Comments
Joan Lewis says:
I see all the information about many drugs but nothing about lupron. I have a very large file of women who have lost their way of life. Many have lost their relationships, as my daughter did.She was to be married but became so sick after the lupron. Also the Endo population have many many more suffering the side effects. As I write this my daughter is still suffered terribe bone and joint pain, memory loss etc. This drug has ruined her life and my life. She lost her job, used her retirement and lives day to day. Some days she cannot get out of bed due to pain. I have not been able to work since had to take care of her and drive her to the many doctors. The doctors apparently don’t have time to read their PDR. The last doctor told her she had a MOOD PROBLEM and there she was sitting the examinating table with swollen feet that were blue. I am so sick of all the lying and cheating within the drug company. The drug company that has destroyed my daughter. Her cobra has expired so we had to sell our farm and downsize. Now it is apparent we will have to sell this home due to the calls abut payment on the bills for doctors and hospital.Here is another fact that I am SICK of==. Without insurance she is charged more than double that which an insured person will pay.She was told to bring $500 for her check up in her foot Sick of remembering how I held down two jobs to raise my kids, my daughter held down two hospital jobs, as an ICU nurse, to build our farm now lost. Where is the reasoning behind this drug still on the market. I have enough information if I knew the process I could win a law suite. In fact I spoke to one of gals who did win a law suite.And now they are giving this drug to young girls, who are having bone pain etc.
Posted on October 26, 2007 at 12:22 pm
Amanda says:
I SUFFERED A MISCARRIAGE JAN 15TH 2008. MY DR. STARTED ME ON THE LUPRON SHOT AND NEVER CHECKED TO SEE IF I WAS PREGNANT. WELL I WAS. I CARRIED THE BABY FOR 1O WEEKS BEFORE HE/SHE PASSED AWAY. I AM GOING TO GET IN TOUCH WITH A LAWYER ABOUT THIS SITUATION. IF ANYBODY HAS ANYTHING ON THE LUPRON LET ME KNOW.
Posted on April 17, 2008 at 10:39 pm
tina says:
I used the orthoevra patch for years until about 3 years ago. I got off of it to have a child and not long after I had him (about 6 mths) I found a lump in my armpit. After a doctor misdiagnosed me saying it was just a lymph node a year later I went back to only find out I had breast cancer, estrogen receptor positive breast cancer. So I’m sure having all of this extra estrogen in my body helped feed the cancer. Wish I would have known that this patch has 60% more estrogen and what extra side effects it had. Patients need to be aware of this before taking it.
Posted on September 22, 2010 at 9:29 am
chandra says:
I took this method of bc when i was 14 to regulate my menstrual cycle, now i am a 22 year woman going threw menopause because of pre-mature ovarian failure (pof) I can no longer have kids and am suffering from alot of other health problems from not having estrogen in my body for years because the doctors didnt believe me when i told them i havnt had a period in 7 years
Posted on January 14, 2011 at 8:51 am
veronica says:
i used this birth control and i had blood clotting i didn’t know it had that effect, i also received a call about a settlement for this and other pills i would like to know what to do…
Posted on September 27, 2013 at 2:45 am
Josephine says:
I was diagnosed with PE In 2003 after being on the patch for about a months or so. I was hospitalized for 7-10 days and given serious medical treatment. I had to sign a living will for my kids cause doctors said the way the clot was positioned in my lung and the size of it That there was a huge possibility that i msy not servive it and for my family to prepare themselves for the worst cause it didnt look good. What they were more curious of is how I knew to go to the hospital cause PE really has No side affects and that iit was pretty much considered a sudden death killer in a lot of these cases.
Posted on December 1, 2023 at 3:05 pm