NuvaRing not Officially Recalled, but Risk Extremely High

 Posted on December 26, 2013 in Defective Drugs & Treatments

The NuvaRing, a contraceptive device originally marketed as a safe alternative to traditional birth control pills has not been officially recalled, despite rumors that it has been. According to PR Newswire, at the beginning of this year the trial date for 1,000 lawsuits involving the device was extended, "feeding rumors that the vaginal ring contraceptive's manufacturer, Merck, may be ready to enter settlements negotiations," reports PR Newswire. Approximately 1.5 million women worldwide use the device despite increased risk.

The increased risks of NuvaRing include increased chance of blood clots, pulmonary embolism, and strokes. According to the Huffington Post, the FDA, after clinical trials in which "a healthy woman in her 20s had developed a blood clot—a surprising occurrence that an investigator determined was probably related to the birth control device," said that the manufacturer needed to include warnings with the NuvaRing packaging. Manufacturer Organon, "adamantly opposed such a statement," according to the Huffington Post.

Organon, the Huffington Post reports, was planning to market NuvaRing as a safe alternative to birth control pills, with fewer side effects. "An elevated VTE [venous thromboembolism] warning label would have been a huge blow," according to the Huffington Post. "Such a warning might have discouraged women from using NuvaRing and made doctors less inclined to prescribe it—significantly cutting into the potential return on investment," the Huffington Post reports.

There are currently more than 1,500 plaintiffs suing Merck "over NuvaRing in mass litigation in federal court." The suits allege that the "device was neither adequately tested nor appropriately labeled to warn women and their prescribing doctor about an increased risk of blood clots." Some women, including Lyndsey Agresta, 27, of Cleveland, died of brain hemorrhaging after NuvaRing use—her mother is one of the plaintiffs in the suit.

If you or someone you know has been affected by the NuvaRing, the most important first step is to seek the counsel of a lawyer. Contact the Law offices of Newland & Newland, LLP today.