Paragard IUD Lawsuit
IUD Lawsuit Missouri - Paragard IUD Lawyer MO
If you or a loved one suffered injuries after using the Paragard© IUD for birth control, you may be entitled to financial compensation from the manufacturer. Some injuries may include device breakage, organ perforation, device migration, hysterectomy, and scarring. Contact Vanderhyde Law today to see if you qualify. Call Toll Free 1-866-777-2557 or fill out our contact form and a Missouri IUD Lawyer will contact you to answer your questions. This is a free consultation. There are no legal fees unless you receive money. Operators are standing by. Call now.
Call Toll Free 1-866-777-2557 for a Free Consultation. No Legal Fees Unless You Receive Money.
IUD Lawsuit Missouri - Paragard IUD Lawyer MO
The ParaGard IUD is a medical device with decades of history behind it, having entered the US market in 1988. It’s a small plastic and copper T-shaped device that works to prevent pregnancy when inserted in the uterus, largely due to the spermicidal qualities of sperm.
While Paragard has remained the same over the years—getting new IUD designs approved is a lengthy and costly process—ownership of the brand has changed has multiple times. Multinational corporations have bought and sold the rights and bought each other out, emphasizing that while contraception is a highly personal decision, it’s also big business.
IUD Lawsuit Missouri
The ParaGard was first developed in 1970 by the Population Council, a nonprofit nongovernmental entity that conducts research in biomedicine and public health. The organization developed a number of long-lasting birth control measures as well as taking steps to give women in third-world countries access to them.
In the mid-2000s, the New York-based FEI Women’s Health acquired marketing rights to the deice from Population Council. About two years later, Barr Pharmaceuticals then acquired FEI. The US-Israeli company Teva then acquired Barr in 2008.
Teva is a multinational with a reported income of $18.90 billion. It specializes in generic drugs and holds the patent to dozens of products from Adderall to zolpidem. They have been the subject of lawsuits: “In December 2016, the attorneys general of 20 states filed a civil complaint accusing Teva of a coordinated scheme to artificially maintain high prices for a generic antibiotic and diabetes drug. The complaint alleged price collusion schemes between six pharmaceutical firms including informal gatherings, telephone calls, and text messages.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teva_Pharmaceuticals#Legal_issues
IUD Lawsuit Missouri
The ParaGard itself has also been the subject of lawsuits. On rare occasions, the device perforates the uterus and even makes its way into other parts of the abdomen. This can damage the reproductive system and require one or more surgeries. Embedding in the uterus can occur during placement, or if an arm comes off during removal.
For instance, in 2018 a woman sued Teva alleging that the company had failed to warn consumers that an arm could break off during removal. “When doctors attempted removal in 2014, part of the IUD broke off and embedded in her uterus, necessitating additional surgery and putting her at risk for reproductive health complications, she alleged.”
More recently, in 2018, the US-based multinational CooperSurgical acquired Paragard from Teva for $1.1 billion. Cooper specializes in medical devices and is traded on the New York stock exchange. The move was made to enable Teva to pay off debt.
IUD Lawsuit Missouri
Cooper can expect the Paragard to be profitable; the US IUD market is projected to be worth $20 billion by 2024, although the copper IUD accounts for less than 20% of the current market share.
Cooper can also expect continuing lawsuits to eat into that profit, as patients who were harmed by the device continue to come forward.
The Paragard costs up to $1300 if it is not covered by a patient’s insurance. It is available free from some community health clinics, furthering Population Council’s original vision of making birth control accessible to all.
IUD Lawsuit Missouri