(openPR) - The Law Offices of James Sokolove (LOJS), dedicated to providing equal access to the civil justice system, conveyed its deep concerns at reports of deadly side effects linked to the hormonal contraceptive ring device, NuvaRing. Used by 1.5 million women worldwide, the device has been associated with a significantly increased risk of blood clots, strokes, heart attacks, and in extreme cases, death.
“Data has been available since 1995 which clearly illustrates the risks associated with third-generation contraceptives,” says Attorney Jim Sokolove, principal and founder of the LOJS. “Yet despite this fact, the makers underemphasized their dangers and continued to market them as safe products, all in the name of profits.”
Approved by the FDA in 2001, NuvaRing is a flexible, two-inch ring that is worn in the vagina for three weeks and removed for one week. It belongs to a class of “third-generation” combination contraceptives that were developed in the 1980s with the intention of producing fewer adverse side effects than their predecessors. NuvaRing is manufactured by Organon USA, which was purchased by Schering Plough Corporation.
Three independent studies published in 1995 showed that third-generation oral contraceptives, which contain the progestin desogestrel, carry nearly twice the risk of venous thrombosis than second-generation oral contraceptives, which differ in their progestin component. Venous thrombosis is a life-threatening blood clot that generally occurs in the lower extremities and produces symptoms such as pain, swelling and redness in the affected extremity. The condition can cause a fatal pulmonary embolism as well as chronic functional disability in the victim.
In February 2007, the consumer advocacy group, Public Citizen petitioned the FDA to ban all third-generation oral contraceptives containing desogestrel, claiming that a ban could save the lives of hundreds of women each year.
“NuvaRing is promoted as a convenient, once-a-month birth control alternative,” says Sokolove. “But women were never made aware that this convenience might come at a deadly cost. Once again we see product safety taking a back seat to sales.”
The Law Offices of James Sokolove
1340 Centre Street
Newton Center, MA 02459
Media contact:Ellen Fletcher
617-467-6967
About The Law Offices of James Sokolove
For almost 30 years, The Law Offices of James Sokolove (LOJS) has focused on reinventing how people obtain legal services. Equality of access, irrespective of ethnicity or income, and superior quality of representation and service within our civil justice system is our mission. Within an ever-changing legal profession, the LOJS business model is a proven success strategically matching specific client needs with particular law firm expertise and service quality. LOJS is the nation’s largest and fastest growing marketer of legal services.
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