A Hong Kong man is suing the maker of a contraceptive pill that he claims led to his wife’s death.
Chan Ho said in a writ to Hong Kong’s High Court that three subsidies of German drug giant Bayer are guilty of negligence in the manufacturing and distributing of the contraceptive pill Yasmin.
According to Apple Daily (as translated by EJI), Chan’s wife Poon La-ming, 45, died of a pulmonary embolism after suffering breathing problems on Jan 17, 2013.
The man claims forensic experts found blood clots in her lungs, which they attributed to excessive intake of the pill.
Gynaecologist Dr. Kun Ka-yan explained that many women choose Yasmin as it has fewer side effects. He added that the latest third-generation of the drug has a higher risk of causing blood clots than earlier versions.
Dr. Kun insisted, however, that he has never heard of a woman dying from taking contraceptives in Hong Kong.
The drug maker might not be so confident, however. In 2013 Bayer paid USD1 billion to a group of women who said they suffered from blood clots and strokes after long-term use of Yasmin.
