“I don’t have all the answers but I am driven to ask the important questions.”
So said Erin Brockovich, who has spoken to many women over the years about their right to seek the truth about potentially dangerous medicines and medical devices.

One such pharmaceutical is Yaz, also known under the brand name Yasmin, a top-selling oral contraceptive marketed by Bayer HealthCare. Ocella, marketed by Barr Laboratories, Inc. is the generic version of Yaz or Yasmin.

Yaz has come under fire by some researchers and health advocates who say that the drug puts women at higher risk for blood clots, strokes and other health problems than some other birth control pills, according to an article in the New York Times on September 26, 2009.

That article points out that earlier this year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent a warning letter asking Bayer to correct misleading television commercials.

The Division of Drug Marketing, Advertising, and Communications (DDMAC) reviewed two 60-second TV Ads entitled "Not Gonna Take it" and "Balloons" for Yaz tablets and said, "The TV Ads are misleading because they broaden the drug's indication, overstate the efficacy of Yaz, and minimize serious risks associated with the use of the drug."

The FDA added, "These violations are concerning from a public health perspective because they encourage use of Yaz in circumstances other than those in which the drug has been approved, over-promise the benefits and minimize the risks associated with Yaz."

Some of the side effects attributed to Yaz, Yasmin and Ocella are: