Ortho-McNeil, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, is named in a lawsuit filed by an Idaho woman who was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis after just one month of using the Ortho Evra birth control patch.

Katy McKellips Braman began using the Ortho Evra birth control patch in 2004 at age 17 before developing a severe blood clot in her leg.  These clots, which can break off and spread to the lungs, are potentially fatal and can lead to other Ortho Evra birth control patch side effects, including heart attack and stroke.

As a result of the Ortho Evra side effects that she suffered, Braman is facing many years of taking blood thinners in order to prevent her blood from clotting for many years. She also cannot take any other forms of hormonal medications, including birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy, since these could aggravate the damage from the Ortho Evra birth control patch side effects that she suffered.

According to Braman’s Ortho Evra birth control patch lawsuit, Ortho-McNeil did not adequately test the patch before putting it into the marketplace and wrongfully informed consumers that the birth control patch was as safe as other forms of contraception. Braman’s Ortho Evra birth control patch lawsuit is just one of hundreds of lawsuits brought against Ortho-McNeil.

Meanwhile, the FDA has announced that birth control patch side effects may be more common among users of the Ortho Evra patch compared with users of contraceptive pills.  According to studies, the birth control patch gives users 60% more hormones by releasing estrogen and progestin directly into the bloodstream. This increased exposure to hormones can lead to serious birth control patch side effects such as strokes, heart attacks and pulmonary embolisms.  The deaths of 23 women have been linked to the Ortho Evra birth control patch, causing the FDA to force Ortho-McNeil to strengthen the drug’s warning label.