Bayer to pay $110m to settle birth control pill lawsuits

Bayer HealthCare has agreed to pay an average of $220,000 per patient to settle 500 lawsuits over the safety of its birth control pills Yaz and Yasmin (drospirenone).

The German company is accused of misleading patients and clinicians about the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), leading to cardiovascular events, to women taking the drug.

The settlement means Bayer will pay a minimum total charge of $110m – and if rolled out across all the current lawsuits, could cost the company over $2bn.

Safety reviews of drospirenone-containing birth control pills led to FDA’s decision to include VTE risk warnings in the product labels.

Bayer is currently facing more than 11,000 lawsuits in the US alleging harm caused by the use of Yaz, Yasmin or authorised generic equivalents.

Yaz is one of Bayer’s most successful brands, earning $1.1bn in 2011.

Rosemarie Yancosek, a spokesperson for Bayer, said: “Bayer HealthCare confirms that some cases pending in the current Yaz/Yasmin litigation in the US are being settled.”

Bayer’s settlement strategy contrasts with the more defensive approach taken by Johnson & Johnson over the marketing of its antipsychotic drug Risperdal.