Lawsuit Filed Over Launch of Generic Yaz Birth Control Pill Gianvi by Teva Pharmaceuticals
This June, Teva Pharmaceuticals announced that it would beginning selling a generic form of the Yaz birth control pill called Gianvi. Promptly following this announcement, Bayer filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Teva. Bayer argues that Teva is violating an agreement between the two companies with regard to the generic Yaz equivalent, Gianvi.
Gianvi will contain the same dose of ethinyl estradiol and drosperinone as Yaz. It is the progestin, drosperinone, used in Yaz, Gianvi and also Yasmin and it's generic, Ocella, that has been pointed to as a likely cause of increased risk of serious injury to women taking these birth control pills.
Close to 2,000 lawsuits have been filed against Bayer regarding the oral contraceptives Yaz, Yasmin and Ocella. Women across the country are suing Bayer seeking compensation for injuries such as stroke, pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and gallbladder disease. If Teva is allowed to sell Gianvi, it is likely it's users may suffer the similar injuries and Teva may face additional lawsuits.