Postponement of NuvaRing Litigation Opens Door for New Plaintiffs; RD Legal Funding Offers NuvaRing Plaintiffs and Attorneys Post-Settlement Financing

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Jan 11, 2013, 10:10 ET

CRESSKILL, N.J., Jan. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The trial date for over 1,000 NuvaRing lawsuits is being extended, feeding rumors that the vaginal ring contraceptive's manufacturer, Merck, may be ready to enter settlement negotiations. The lawsuits allege that NuvaRing caused serious side effects, including blood clots, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, heart attacks, strokes, and wrongful death. The multidistrict litigation before Rodney W. Sippel of the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri, was originally set to go to trial in May 2013. The extension opens the window for more lawsuits to be filed. But even though a settlement might be closer, it will be months if not years before settlement amounts are established and disbursed. To relieve NuvaRing plaintiffs and attorneys' financial stress, RD Legal Funding, LLC ("RD Legal") is offering immediate lawsuit financing as soon as settlement amounts have been established.

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NuvaRing, the first vaginal hormonal contraceptive device, was developed by Organon BioSciences, the Dutch chemical giant Akzo-Nobel's human and animal health business. The flexible plastic ring releases a low dose of etonogestrel (synthetic progestin) and estrogen (ethinyl estradiol) over three weeks.

2001: The FDA approved NuvaRing—which is marketed as a simpler and healthier alternative to a daily birth control pill—for use in the U.S.
2007: Schering-Plough purchases Organon for $14.4 billion.
Beginning in May 2007: Complaints are filed in various jurisdictions asserting claims over the marketing and sale of NuvaRing.
November 2009: Schering Plough completes its $4.1 billion merger with Merck.
2009: The British Medical Journal publishes two studies finding that women taking third- and fourth-generation progestins are almost twice as likely to develop blood clots as those taking second-generation oral contraceptives. First-generation birth control pills, developed in the 1960s, contained high levels of estrogen and carried a nine-fold increased risk of blood clots. Second-generation pills, developed in the 1970s, dramatically decreased blood-clot risks by combining lower doses of estrogen with the synthetic hormone progestin. NuvaRing contains a third-generation progestin, etonogestrel, which was developed to better control side effects like facial hair and acne.
2010: More than 5.5 million NuvaRing prescriptions are written in the U.S. NuvaRing generates $559 million in international sales.
October 2011: An FDA-funded study finds that of 800,000 American women using some form of birth control between 2001 and 2008, NuvaRing users had a 56 percent increased risk of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism over women using second-generation birth control pills.
May 2012: A Danish study published in the British Medical Journal reports that NuvaRing users had a 6.5 times higher risk of developing a serious blood clot compared to women who did not use any form of hormonal birth control; and a 90 percent higher risk of experiencing a dangerous blood clot than women taking combined oral contraceptives containing older forms of female hormones.
2012: NuvaRing's product information pamphlet claims that other studies have not shown any increased risk of blood clots in NuvaRing users over second-generation users.
Through the middle of 2012, the FDA receives 4,974 Adverse Event reports from NuvaRing users.
Today: Approximately 1.5 million women worldwide currently use NuvaRing which has not been recalled from the U.S. market.

For more information about post-settlement financing, NuvaRing plaintiffs and their attorneys should contact RD Legal at 1-800-565-5177 or go to http://www.legalfunding.com. Founded in 1997, RD Legal is one of the nation's leading providers of post-settlement lawsuit funding.

SOURCES

http://www.marieclaire.com/health-fitness/news/birth-control-safety http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/10/business/10drug.html?pagewanted=all

http://fortworth.legalexaminer.com/fda-and-prescription-drugs/nuvaring-pulmonary-embolism-and-deep-vein-thrombosis-risks.aspx?googleid=301466

http://www.bmj.com/search/nuvaring

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/Safety-RelatedDrugLabelingChanges/ucm117851.htm

http://www.topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/prescription/3231-nuvaring-dvt-lawsuit-alleges-condition-developed-within-1-month

http://topdruglawsuits.com/lawsuit-settlements/nuvaring-lawsuits/2940-nuvaring-lawsuit-trial-dates-moved-allowing-more-plaintiffs-to-join

SOURCE RD Legal Funding, LLC