A study conducted by the Boston Collaborative Drug Surveillance Program confirms that the Ortho Evra Contraceptive Transdermal Patch increases the risk of serious blood clots.

Ortho Evra, a birth-control patch manufactured by Johnson & Johnson, has been linked to blood clots known as deep vein thromboses, or DVTs, as well as to pulmonary embolisms, both of which, if untreated, can be fatal. On Jan. 18, 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved changes to the drug's label to include the results of the study.

Worn on the skin, the Ortho Evra patch releases two hormones—an estrogen, ethinyl estradiol; and a progestin, norelgestromin—into the bloodstream through the skin. Because the body processes the hormones administered through the skin differently than it does the hormones in birth-control pills, women who use the patch are exposed to about 60 percent more estrogen, sharply increasing the risk of clots.

An earlier study conducted by i3 Ingenix showed that serious blood clots, also known as venous thromboembolisms (VTEs), were twice as likely to develop in women who used the patch as in women taking oral contraceptives. A VTE that travels to the lungs, resulting in pulmonary embolism, can kill. The BCDSP study, which involved women ages 15 to 44, supported the i3 Ingenix findings.

Ortho Evra is made by Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, a division of Johnson & Johnson. According to Bloomberg News, the company has been sued by more than 1,500 women alleging that they suffered strokes or blood clots in their lungs or legs after using the patch. In October of 2007, Bloomberg News reported that the company agreed to pay $1.25 million to settle a suit filed by the family of a 14-year-old girl who died after two blood clots developed in her lungs.

In the fall of 2007, a New Jersey judge also made public a letter from a former Johnson & Johnson executive who alleged that the company improperly downplayed the risks associated with the Ortho Evra patch. The author of the letter said that he had investigated an "unusually high number" of blood clots and indicated that more than 20 deaths had been linked to the patch, according to an article in Bloomberg News.

If you have experienced a stroke or embolism after using the Ortho Evra patch or a family member has become ill or died after using the patch, please contact our attorneys for legal assistance as soon as possible.

The lawyers of the Lowe Law Firm are experienced in helping people injured by dangerous drugs. We will seek compensation for past and future medical expenses, past and future wages, pain and suffering, disability and other damages. We also represent family members in wrongful death cases.

To learn more, visit our Missouri Injury Lawyer Blog.

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