CHICAGO, April 28, 2014 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Mariola Zapalski suffered a severe stroke in 2007, just 13 days after she began taking the birth control drug Yasmin. This April 18, she and her husband, Rafal Zapalski, won a settlement for $14 million after the stroke left Zapalski unable to walk.
Zapalski was just 37 years old when she was prescribed Yasmin. Her doctor, Zbigniew Aniol, never warned her the drug carries a greater risk of stroke for women over 35, as well as those with hypertension.
Now, she is totally dependent on a wheelchair, and the couple expect a lifetime of lingering medical bills as a result of the stroke, which caused permanent brain damage.
Bradley Cosgrave, Zapalski’s attorney, said, “Under the circumstances for this patient, Yasmin was a dangerous drug for her and it was an inappropriate choice because of Mariola Zapalski’s underlying risk factors.”
Zapalski won a $2.5 million settlement from Resurrection Medical Center, the hospital that referred her to Dr. Aniol, last month.
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of the drug, have had to settle more than 8,200 claims that total $1.4 billion.
“No one should have to go through what we did,” Zapalski said.
As LifeSiteNews has previously reported, Yasmin has been linked to numerous health dangers, including death. In 2013, a Health Canada document showed that since 2007, at least 23 Canadian women have died of blood clots as a result of using Yasmin.
Another study in France found that annually, at least 20 women per year died from complications caused by birth control pills. Fourteen of those annual deaths were linked to third and fourth generation contraceptives such as Yasmin.
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Despite the numerous claims Bayer has had to settle and the evidence of health risks associated with its products, Bayer maintains that the drug is safe if used in accordance with its directions.