How the Ortho Evra Patch Could Hurt You
If you or a loved one has suffered an injury or death as a result of using Ortho Evra patch side effects, it is time to seek compensation for your pain and suffering through an Ortha Evra Patch Side Effects Lawsuit. Please CALL TODAY to speak to our Ortho Evra Side Effects Lawyer for assistance with your Ortha Evra Patch Side Effects Lawsuit. Our Ortho Evra Side Effects Lawyer will offer you complete information on your legal rights.
What is the Ortho Evra Birth Control Patch?
The Ortho Evra birth control patch is a convenient birth control option, offered by Ortho-Mc Neil, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, since 2002. Following its launch, the patch quickly gained popularity with health professionals and young women alike, for the ease and convenience in its action as an effective birth control option.
The Ortho Evra patch is recognized as the first weekly form of reversible contraception, guaranteeing 99% effectiveness in preventing pregnancy, when used correctly. Presently, over 4 million women have opted to use this trans-dermal contraceptive.
The patch is built in three layers and delivers the same hormones as found in a birth control pill – progestin and estrogen, which are delivered in a steady flow through the skin into the bloodstream over a period of 7 days. In function, the Ortho Evra patch works similar to the birth control pill in preventing pregnancy:
- It prevents ovulation, ensuring that an egg is not released by the ovaries for fertilization.
- It thickens cervical mucus so that sperms are less likely to enter the uterus.
- Creates changes in the endometrium, reducing the likelihood of embryo implantation.
Ortho Evra Patch Side Effects
Despite its popularity, the patch has increasingly been associated with serious side effects, including fatalities in young women. Usage of the patch has been linked to side effects such as heart attacks, blood clots, strokes, pulmonary embolisms, deep vein thrombosis and sometimes even death.
While the effectiveness of Ortho Evra as a birth control patch remains unquestioned, the trouble with the patch lies in its composition. As compared with ordinary birth control pills, the Ortho Evra Patch is designed to deliver 60% higher dosage of estrogen into the human body. It is known that too much estrogen in the human body can actually trigger a series of side effects including weight gain, blood clots, strokes, deep vein thrombosis, heart attacks, pulmonary embolisms and even death.
By late 2005, the high estrogen exposure in the patch was linked to the death of 23 women, who had succumbed to varied blood-clot related complications, following the use of the drug. Based on the reports, the FDA informed health care providers and consumers about the serious side effects associated with the use Ortho Evra birth control patch, in November 2005.
Additionally, the agency also forced the manufacturer of the drug – Ortho-McNeil, to make the drug’s warning label stronger. Presently, many doctors have advised women against using the Ortho Evra patch to avoid the serious side effects associated with it.
A 2005 study by an independent panel of medical experts also revealed that women who use the Ortho Evra patch were three times more likely to suffer fatal blood clots or deep vein thrombosis (DVT) as compared with those using traditional birth control pills. Besides, while women of all ages were vulnerable to the side effects from high levels of hormone exposure, women between the ages of 14 – 35, were cited as being most impacted.
Despite the warnings issued by the FDA and the serious risk of death from blood clots associated with the drug, Ortho Evra birth control patch is yet to be recalled from the market.
Ortha Evra Patch Side Effects Lawyer
Our San Antonio Ortha Evra patch attorneys have years of rich experience in handling dangerous medical product cases and will assist you through all the legal formalities. Contact our San Antonio office today at 210-888-8888.