More than 100 women are suing a manufacturer of birth control pills after getting pregnant. These women claimed that incorrect packaging of the pills led to the unwanted pregnancies.
As reported in Time Magazine, the pills were not arranged properly in the packages, so that led to women taking the placebo pills at the wrong time. One hundred and thirteen women from 28 countries were reported to be pregnant and they are suing Qualitest Pharmaceuticals, a generic drug manufacturer, for millions in damages.
Qualitest Pharmaceuticals is a subsidiary of Irish drug maker Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. with a U.S. headquarters in Pennsylvania according to Huffington Post.
The placebo pills are meant to be taken during the week of menstruation. According the lawsuit filed last November 5 in a Philadelphia court, the pills in the blister packets were rotated 180 degrees, totally reversing the weekly tablet orientation thus placing the women without or less protection against a possible pregnancy. Women could start taking in the pills at the wrong date.
However, it was reported that Qualitest has already recalled some of this pills. In 2011, the company recalled multiple lots of their oral contraceptives because of packaging error.
More so, the suit claims the pills were "defectively and dangerously designed, manufactured, packaged, sold and distributed". The lawsuit hopes for a jury trial and some are seeking the full cost of raising a child, which includes education through age 18.
According to Heather Zoumas Lubeski, a spokesman for Endo, the company is aware of the lawsuit. In an email she said that while it was not the company policy to comment on pending litigation, she issued the following statement:
"The recall that forms the basis of this suit was entirely voluntary and occurred more than four years ago in September 2011. The voluntary recall occurred based on an extremely small number of pill packs that were manufactured by an external contract manufacturer. Endo has been able to confirm only one blister pack that manifested a defect and was sold to a patient."
What do you think is the truth? Do you believe the more than 100 women who got pregnant because of wrongful packaging? Or do you believe in the pharmaceutical's innocence? Let us know by leaving your comments below.
