Yaz Consumer’s Death

Bayer’s Yaz Consumer’s Death Probed By Swiss Agency (Update1)

Bayer AG, Germany’s largest drugmaker, said its Yaz contraceptive is part of an investigation by a Swiss health regulator into the death of a young woman who took the pill.

The Swissmedic agency and an investigative judge are looking into the case of the woman, who died from the effects of pulmonary embolism, Bayer’s Swiss health unit said in a statement posted on its Web site yesterday. Bayer is cooperating with the authorities, the company said.

“A singular case, as tragic and sad as it is, does not indicate an increased risk for the whole group of women who take the pill,” Oliver Renner, a Berlin-based spokesman for Bayer, said in an interview today. “Studies have shown that the risk isn’t higher for Yaz than for other oral contraceptives.”

Leverkusen, Germany-based Bayer’s Yasmin, Yaz and Yasminelle contraceptives brought in $1.86 billion for Bayer in the first quarter, and Yasmin and Yaz are the two biggest- selling contraceptives worldwide, according to IMS Health Inc., a Norwalk, Connecticut-based market research company.

Bayer will also probe the matter, said Renner. In a case like that, the company routinely conducts its own investigation, he added.

The regulator was alerted to the “sudden” death of the woman, who had been taking the contraceptive for ten months, Swissmedic said on its Web site. Thromboembolic complications are well known yet rare side-effects of hormone-based contraceptives and the risk is also increased during pregnancy, the agency said.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Karin Matussek in Berlin at kmatussek@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: September 26, 2009 10:28 EDT