Connie Lager, of St. Clair County, Illinois, and her husband are suing Ortho-McNeil, saying the company’s Ortho Evra Patch caused her to develop deep vein thrombosis. The case was filed on October 17, and consists of 27 counts of product liability. Also named as defendants in the case were Johnson and Johnson, Ortho-McNeil’s parent company, and Johnson and Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development.

The lawsuit is just one of thousands that have been filed because of the transdermal contraceptive patch. The suit charges that the Ortho Evra patch was not tested sufficiently, and instead the company relied on safety and risk information obtained from tests of birth control pills.

The complaint notes that patches like Ortho Evra result in estrogen levels that are 60 percent higher than they would be in a person taking birth control in pill form. The suit also alleges the company ignored warnings about the patch that were released by the Food and Drug Administration, which said that blood clots could be a problem with the patch.

In addition to deep vein thrombosis, the suit noted that Lager also suffered from permanent scarring and disfigurement, physical pain and suffering, mental anguish, and diminished enjoyment of life.

Source: Ann Knef, “Ortho Evra patch cited in suit against Ortho-McNeil, J&J,” Madison-St. Clair Register, October 23, 2007.