New documents have revealed that a Johnson & Johnson vice president—the manufacturer of the patch—resigned in over the company’s repeated efforts to downplay the risk of Ortho Evra side effects. A letter by the executive—whose name was redacted by the court—was recently unsealed as part of a group of 400 Ortho Evra lawsuits that have been filed in New Jersey. (more…)

According to the results of a recent study, women who use the Ortho Evra patch face more than twice the risk of blood clots than those who use birth control pills. The results of the study were reported in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology. (more…)

The Food and Drug Administration’s birth control advisory committee says that the agency should not put limits on the acceptable failure rate of birth control devices. The committee says that doing so would limit the availability of contraceptives with a lower hormone dose that have other health benefits or fewer side effects. (more…)

Although several studies have looked at the link between the Ortho Evra patch and blood clots, heart attack or stroke, a new case suggests that there may be a link between the patch and neurological damage as well. According to a Wisconsin woman, she suffered symptoms of neurological damage after using the birth control patch. (more…)

An Illinois couple has filed a $1.3 million Ortho Evra lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary, Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceuticals, the maker of the Ortho Evra birth control patch. Carla Fletcher claims that using the Ortho Evra patch caused her to suffer birth control patch side effects that have left her severely and permanently injured. Her husband Jason is also seeking damages for loss of consortium. (more…)