Bayer to Pay $17 Million to Settle Birth Control Deceptive Marketing Claims

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Bayer Corp. has agreed to pay the Commonwealth of Kentucky $17 million to settle claims that the drug company misled women about risks associated with its oral birth control drugs Yasmin and Yaz.

According to an Oct. 23 press release from Attorney General Andy Beshear’s office, the settlement resolves a 2013 lawsuit alleging Bayer failed to tell patients about scientific evidence indicating that the drugs create a higher risk for blood clots compared to similar contraceptives containing first-generation progestins.

Yasmin and Yaz contain drospirenone, a progestin that can cause excess potassium production in some patients, which can …