On February 7, 2014 Merck & Co. announced that it will pay $100 million to settle all U.S. lawsuits involving its NuvaRing intrauterine contraceptive device. The lawsuits allege that NuvaRing is a defective medical device and that Merck downplayed serious health risks and failed to warn users of those risks.
The NuvaRing device contains estrogen and progestin, hormones that are commonly found in birth control pills. The contraceptive device is associated with an increased risk of development of blood clots that can result in heart attacks, strokes and sudden death. NuvaRing has been available to American women since 2001. It is one of several contraceptives linked to a higher risk of blood clots.
In agreeing to the settlement, Merck continued to deny any wrongdoing. Under the terms of the settlement, at least 95 percent of claimants must participate in the settlement. Nearly 4,000 lawsuits are pending in federal and state courts against Merck, the second-largest pharmaceutical company in the United States.
Last year, Bayer AG, a German drug manufacturer, paid nearly $1.6 billion to settlement thousands of lawsuits alleging blood clot injuries linked to use of Yaz and Yazmin birth control pills.
The Ohio pharmaceutical and defective medical device attorneys of Clark, Perdue & List represented numerous individuals injured by Yaz, Yazmin and NuvaRing, in addition to many other dangerous drugs. If you or a loved one has suffered injury or death as a result of a dangerous drug or medical device, contact Clark, Perdue & List.