For more information about Yaz, Yasmin, or the generic version Ocella side effects visit http://www.ennislaw.com/yaz_lawyer.html

-Independent Florida Alligator

10/22/2009 - Back in 2008, pharmaceutical maker Bayer released a series of ads for Yaz, a birth control pill. The ads claimed that Yaz can treat various premenstrual symptoms and help clear up acne on skin.

But oops-they weren't supposed to say that. The FDAsaid that these ads made claims that it hadn't approved, and they didn't adequately disclose the health risks associated with Yaz.

So the FDA, along with 27 state attorneys general, cracked down on Bayer, requiring the company to spend $20 million on a corrective advertising campaign. The new ad campaign started in late January and is scheduled to end July 26, 2009.

The woman in the corrective ad says that we "might have seen some Yaz ads recently that were not clear" (if by "not clear" you mean "deceptive") and that "the FDA wants us to correct a few points in those ads" (if by "wants" you mean "required"). She goes on to make several corrections and clarifications. So everything's cool, right?

Not quite. To the uninitiated viewer, it may not seem like government-mandated corrective advertising at all. In fact, it might even look like any other contraceptive ad: it's set in a nightclub (with an establishing shot at the beginning!), with blandly hip-sounding music in the background, spoken aloud by a woman who's pretty cute.

So here's my problem: Corrective advertising is supposed to be retributive in addition to reparative. Companies that, either through deliberate deception or an irresponsible lack of diligence, mislead consumers should be embarrassed, and corrective advertising should be embarrassing.

These ads should have the text "This is a corrective advertisement ordered by the FDA because previous Yaz ads were deceptive" emblazoned on the screen, and, to drive home the point, the woman should have said something along the lines of, "We fully acknowledge we misled you in our ads before."

Knowing that you could be forced to run humiliating ads, out of your own pocket, is a pretty inspiring reason to be honest in your ads.

So what do you think? Was it clear these Yaz ads were, in fact, corrective ads? Should corrective advertising be embarrassing, or is that overkill?

Felicitas Rohrer wants the Yasmin family banned from the market. But, according to Ulrich Hagemann from the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices, a ban is unlikely.

"I think there is no good scientific reason as the third (generation of) oral contraceptives has been on the market for more than ten years and we now have a new type of oral contraceptive with the same risk," said Hagemann, referring to the Yasmin label. "You couldn't argue for taking these off the market and keeping the others on the market."

Risk not mentioned in package leaflet

The Coalition against Bayer Dangers therefore demands a complete ban of all third generation contraceptives with a higher thrombosis risk compared to the second generation. The Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices is looking into changing the product information to reflect the new data coming from the recent studies.

"There is a need from my point of view to change the text" in the product information that accompanies the pills, said Hagemann.

According to the recent studies published in the British Medical Journal, second-generation contraceptives with the hormone levonorgestrel that have been used since the 1970s are currently considered the safest option for women who want to use birth control pills.

For more information about Yaz, Yasmin, or the generic version Ocella side effects visit http://www.ennislaw.com/yaz_lawyer.html