NuvaRing Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) Lawsuit Filed in New Jersey

A Mississippi woman has filed a lawsuit alleging that side effects of NuvaRing birth control device caused her to suffer a life-threatening blood clot in the deep veins of her leg, joining a growing number of similar complaints filed in New Jersey state court and U.S. District Courts nationwide. 

The NuvaRing deep vein thrombosis (DVT) lawsuit was filed by Amanda Craft on September 18, in the New Jersey Superior Court for Bergen County, where all similar complaints in the state involving the popular birth control ring have been consolidated for “mass tort” treatment as part of a Multicounty Litigation (MCL).

Craft indicates in the complaint that she suffered a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) after using NuvaRing in September 2010, alleging that Merck, Organon and Schering Plough, the makers of the birth control ring, provided misleading information about the safety and risk of users suffering blood clots.

According to the most recent case list (PDF) issued by the New Jersey courts, Craft’s complaint is the 186th lawsuit over NuvaRing filed in the state court system. All of the complaints involve similar claims that blood clots caused by the birth control ring caused women to suffer injuries like deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism, stroke or sudden death.

In addition to the New Jersey state court litigation, a growing number of NuvaRing lawsuits filed throughout the federal court system have been consolidated for pretrial proceedings in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, as part of a NuvaRing MDL (Multidistrict Litigation).

According to a Conditional Transfer Order (PDF) issued by the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation at the end of August, more than 1,000 NuvaRing blood clot lawsuits have been transferred into the MDL. In addition, as NuvaRing lawyers continue to review and file cases in U.S. District Courts throughout the country, the size of the federal litigation is expected to continue to grow.

NuvaRing Risk of Deep Vein Thrombosis, Pulmonary Embolism, Stroke

NuvaRing is a form of birth control that releases a combination of hormones through a ring that is inserted into the vagina once a month.  Since it was introduced, the drug makers have marketed the product by promoting the convenience of the birth control ring, which offers month-long protection.

The ring releases estrogen ethinyl estradiol, which is contained in many forms of birth control, and a “third-generation” progestin, known as etonogestrel, which has been linked to an increased risk of blood clots and thrombotic events, such as pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis, heart attack, stroke and sudden death.

Although warnings and information provided with NuvaRing suggested that the birth control ring carried similar risks to birth control pills, several studies in recent years have found that the risk of blood clots from NuvaRing is substantially higher than oral birth control pills containing levonorgestrel.

In May 2012, the first large-scale study to evaluate the risk of pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis with NuvaRing found that women using the birth control ring may face a 6.5 times increased risk of venous thrombosis when compared to women taking no birth control pill and roughly double the risk compared to use of certain older birth control pills. The findings were published in the British Medical Journal.

NuvaRing Trial Dates Scheduled Throughout Early 2013

According to scheduling orders issued in the federal NuvaRing litigation, as well as the state court litigation in New Jersey, the first trial dates are expected to begin early next year.

New Jersey state court Judge Brian Martinotti, who is presiding over the consolidated proceedings in Bergen County, issued an order earlier this year that indicates the first NuvaRing trial will begin on February 4, 2013.

At least nine cases in the state court litigation have are being prepared for early trial dates, known as “bellwether” cases, because the results are often used to gauge how juries are likely to respond to similar evidence and testimony that will be offered in a number of lawsuits. The outcomes may help facilitate a possible NuvaRing settlement agreement in many cases.

In the federal MDL, the first trial date has been set for May 2013, involving a pulmonary embolism lawsuit from NuvaRing, which was filed by a 33 year old woman who alleges that the birth control ring caused a blood clot to develop in her deep veins, which broke free and traveled to the lungs.