San Diego CA (PRWEB) February 09, 2013
http://www.resource4thepeople.com/defectivedrugs/nuvaring.html
Resource4thePeople announced today that as the number of lawsuits filed by victims who claim blood-clotting problems as a result of their use of the NuvaRing contraceptive has climbed to more than 1,000* it is continuing to provide referrals for victims of these side effects to lawyers offering free consultations.
These consultations can provide legal options to women who may have suffered health problems from blood clotting, such as deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolisms, strokes and heart attacks. Legal assistance also is available to those who may have lost a loved one and may be seeking information about the facts involved in a wrongful death.
“This announcement is being made in case there is any confusion among women who might have suffered serious health problems similar to those alleged in what is now a large, consolidated federal court proceeding,” said Resource4thePeople.
“The situation that now exists, according to the court record in over 1,000 such cases before a federal judge in Missouri, is that the first trials are not scheduled to begin until the middle of this year and victims who are not aware of where this litigation stands have the right to know that they still have time to seek free advice about their legal rights to possible compensation.”
This reference is to the federal multidistrict litigation that is being overseen by U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel in the Eastern District of Missouri.* Judge Sippel originally had scheduled the first trial for May but has rescheduled it for July.
Multidistrict litigations are designated by a special panel of federal judges in cases in which large numbers of plaintiffs file similar allegations against common defendants in the interest of judicial efficiency and to avoid duplicative and conflicting legal proceedings.
In such litigations the judge oversees pre-trial evidence-gathering and legal requirements, schedules bellwether cases to allow both plaintiffs and defendants to weigh the strengths and weaknesses of their cases and presides over mediations and settlement discussions.
The judge is also asked to rule on whether such cases should be certified as class-action cases, in which a large pool of plaintiffs are given the choice of whether to remain in the litigation or proceed with their individual case outside of the outcome of the class action.
Resource4thePeople is also providing an information bank in which recent developments in the NuvaRing litigation and information about the popular IUD from medical researchers, news media and the Food and Drug Administration are posted at:
http://www.resource4thepeople.com/defectivedrugs/nuvaring.html
The allegations cited in this multidistrict litigation claim that NuvaRing, described by company officials as the first hormonal IUD, puts women at risk of suffering blood clots that can lead to life-threatening health problems because of the hormone mixture that prevents pregnancies.
The NuvaRing was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2001 after being created by Organon BioSciences as a flexible IUD, or ring, hence the name. The IUD releases a low dose of etonogestrel and estrogen over three weeks, providing women the flexibility of a monthly contraceptive.
This flexibility was one of the marketing factors that made the NuvaRing what was described as an easy and healthy contraceptive choice to women who were not satisfied with the side effects caused by birth control pills and the necessity of taking them each day.
However, by 2011 the FDA released the findings of government research that put women who used the NuvaRing or other IUDs with a similar mixture of hormones at a 56 percent higher risk of suffering blood clotting that led to deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolisms than women on birth control pills.**
Resource4thePeople is committed to informing women about the risks they may face in their choices of contraception and to providing them data that ensures the protection of their health and that of any infants they may give birth to who may be exposed to side effects from contraceptive devices.
In announcing that free legal consultations are still being offered to women who may have suffered serious side effects from the use of the NuvaRing, Resource4thePeople notes that NuvaRing has now posted warnings about the increased risks of suffering blood clots on the company’s web site under the heading of “IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION.***
Resource4thePeople recommends that women choosing a type of birth control review the company’s warning:
The use of combination oral contraceptives is associated with increased risks of several serious side effects, including blood clots, stroke, or heart attack. NuvaRing is not for women with a history of these conditions. The risk of getting blood clots may be greater with the type of progestin in NuvaRing than with some other progestins in certain low-dose birth control pills. It is unknown if the risk of blood clots is different with NuvaRing use than with the use of certain birth control pills.
NuvaRing is not for women with certain cancers or those who may be pregnant.
NuvaRing does not protect against HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases.
The most common side effects reported by NuvaRing users are: vaginal infections and irritation, vaginal secretion, headache, weight gain, and nausea.
Sources:
In re: NuvaRing Products Liability Litigation, No. 08-md-1964, JPML, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri
**http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/DrugSafety/UCM277384.pdf
*** http://www.nuvaring.com/Consumer/index.asp
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