NuvaRing Trial Date Postponed

 Posted on February 08, 2013 in Defective Drugs & Treatments

Yahoo! Finance is reporting that the scheduled May 2013 trial date in the multidistrict NuvaRing litigation, which is currently pending before the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri, has been postponed. This latest continuance of the trial proceedings has resulted in rumors that Merck, the manufacturer of the vaginal ring contraceptive, is preparing to enter into settlement negotiations. Not only does this development raise the potential for much-needed financial relief for women injured by using NuvaRing, but it also leaves open the possibility that even more lawsuits will be added to the more than 1,000 NuvaRing lawsuits that already are pending.

NuvaRing was the first vaginal hormonal contraceptive device approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in 2001. The ring works by releasing a low dose of synthetic progestin and estrogen over a period of three weeks. Starting in May, 2007, consumers began to file complaints in jurisdictions nationwide claiming dangerous side effects from using the medical device. Studies in 2009 and 2011 reveal that using NuvaRing considerably increases the risk of serious blood clots, including a 56% increased risk of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism over those women who use regular birth control pills. To date, the FDA has received almost 5,000 adverse event reports from users of NuvaRing. Nonetheless, NuvaRing has not been recalled from U.S. markets, and 1.5 million women worldwide continue to use NuvaRing.

If you or a loved one has suffered injuries or dangerous side effects from using NuvaRing, there still may be time to file a claim in the pending litigation. You may be entitled to damages for the injuries that you have sustained that are attributable to NuvaRing. For more information about the NuvaRing litigation and other defective medical devices, contact your Illinois defective medical device attorney today.