The Ortho Evra Birth Control Patch was approved for use in November 2001. Since then, it has been referred to as the “Birth Control Band-Aid” because women who use the band-aid like beige patch, wear it directly on the body for a week straight before replacing it with another patch.
The Ortho Evra Patch was developed as an easier alternative to Oral Contraceptives (OCs), and was released to the public in 2002. Since then, over 5 million women have used the Ortho Evra Patch from either samples given to them, or prescriptions.
Unfortunately, it has now been discovered that the Ortho Evra Patch has an increased risk of serious thrombotic problems like:
- Heart Attack
- Blood Clots
- Pulmonary Embolism
- Deep Vein Thrombosis
- Myocardial Infarction
This is due to the fact that the Ortho Evra Patch provides a constant level of estrogen and progestin to the body while it is being worn, while oral contraceptives deliver a once-a-day dose of medicine.
The difference between the two is the overall amount of estrogen the body receives from the Ortho Evra Patch versus oral contraceptives. In 1969, a British study concluded that the body couldn’t receive more than 50 micrograms (mcg) of estrogen without imposing serious risks of blood clots forming. By 1988, all companies selling oral contraceptives with more than 50 mcg of estrogen had taken their drugs off the market.
The Ortho Evra Patch provides users with 20 mcg of estrogen for a prolonged amount of time, whereas the pill provides users with 35 mcg of estrogen for a short amount of time each day.
In November 2005, the FDA released a new warning, stating that the Ortho Evra Patch exposed users to 60% more estrogen than users taking the 35 mcg oral contraceptive.
This means that although the pill provides more micrograms of estrogen for a smaller amount of time, the patch actually saturates the blood of the user with about 56mcg of estrogen because it provides its dose over a longer period of time.
Additionally, new studies have been conducted that show the dangers of the progestin used as the other active ingredient in the Ortho Evra Patch. The progestin used in the Ortho Evra Patch is a 3 rd generation progestin, called norelgestromin.
Progestin is an anti-thrombotic, meaning it prevents the formation of blood clots. Estrogen, on the other hand, is a pro-thrombotic, meaning it promotes the formation of blood clots. Working together, they are supposed to “cancel eachother out” and allow the body to function normally, without more, or less, blood clotting.
However, as a 3 rd generation progestin, norelgestromin inhibits the body’s anti-blood clotting mechanism, and allows more formation of blood clots than it should. By working together with a high dosage of estrogen, the Ortho Evra Patch places women users at risk of serious thrombotic events like pulmonary embolisms, strokes, and heart attacks.
The current warning for the Ortho Evra Patch not only fails to inform users of the risks they face from the amount of estrogen they are exposed to, but it also fails to inform them of the risks the progestin imposes on them.
At the moment, many lawyers are working on a class action lawsuit against Ortho McNeil, the maker of the Ortho Evra Patch and a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. You may qualify to join the lawsuit if you:
- Have been prescribed the Ortho Evra Patch
- Have taken oral contraceptives for an extended period of time prior to using the Ortho Evra Patch without incident.
- Suffered from a serious thrombotic event like heart attack, stroke, pulmonary embolism, blood clot, etc.
- Were forced to stay in a hospital for an extended period of time as a result of the thrombotic incident
- Were forced to undergo surgery as a result of the thrombotic incident
- Have to undergo coagulant therapy for at least 6 months.
Also, if you are a smoker and have had a thrombotic event after using the Ortho Evra Patch, you may still qualify to file a lawsuit. Although there is a warning against smoking while using the Ortho Evra Patch, it does not specify the severity of the consequences, or mention the risks associated with smoking while using the Ortho Evra Patch.
The number of women who have been affected by the Ortho Evra Patch has not yet been established, but the Ortho Evra Patch has been supplied to over 5 million women since 2002.
If you have suffered from any medical problems, like heart attack, pulmonary embolism, stroke, or blood clots after taking the Ortho Evra Patch, it is important to contact an experienced dangerous drug lawyer near you.