Ortho Evra Press Article Excerpt

Leslie Walquist will never make the decision whether to have children because she suffered a near fatal pulmonary embolism at age 25 after using the Ortho Evra birth control patch, a lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court claims. Walquist suffered a blockage in her lung artery from a blood clot in May 2004, a direct result from the patch, the lawsuit alleges. She won't be able to have children because of the injuries she suffered, it says. The suit claims the manufacturers, Johnson & Johnson and Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc., should have known of the risks at the time of Walquist's use, even if they didn't make an official warning regarding the patch until Nov. 10, 2005.

The Ortho Evra warning stated the "increased estrogen exposure may increase the risk of serious adverse events." The patch is transdermal, so it releases higher doses of progestin and estrogen through the skin into the bloodstream compared to oral contraceptives, putting some women at higher risks for developing blood clots. Before that warning, the only side effects released by Ortho Evra included nausea and/or vomiting, skin reaction where patch is applied, breast symptoms and headaches.

The manufacturers failed to tell women or their health care providers the patch is more likely to cause heart attacks, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, the suit claims. The suit is asking for a jury trial as well as compensatory and punitive damages. This is one of hundreds of suits that have been filed against the manufacturers since 2004. There are at least 500 lawsuits filed against Johnson & Johnson, according to news reports. Information released in 2006 claims women using the patch are twice as likely to develop blood clots as women who take oral birth control pills. Most of the suits claim the plaintiffs have experienced blood clots and other serious illnesses from wearing the patch.

Learn more about Ortho Evra dangers and injury lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson over the birth control patch.