Qualitest Pharmaceuticals is an Alabama-based company that makes birth control pills. In 2011, the company recalled eight of their oral contraceptive lines because they’d placed the pills in the packaging incorrectly. Now, women who became pregnant while taking the pills are suing for millions, demanding to be paid for both child-rearing costs and college expenses.
CNN reports that the pharmaceutical company (a subsidiary of Endo Pharmaceuticals) recalled 3.2 million packs of birth control pills and told consumers that, while the packages were defective, they didn’t pose “immediate health risks.” At the time of the recall, women were asked to stop using the birth control, switch to barrier methods of protection, and speak to their doctors about the error.
The company claims to have only found one blister pack that was printed incorrectly, but over 100 women are suing the drug manufacturer for putting out a dangerous product. In addition, Medical Daily reports that the pills that were released had their “lot number and expiration dates hidden,” making it even harder for women across the United States to discover whether they’d been affected.
According to a report by CBS, many of the women affected had to change their lives considerably, even though they had taken the precautions to prevent pregnancy. One woman said she gave her child up for adoption because she was being deployed; several others had to leave school in order to raise their children.
Endo Pharmaceuticals has not responded to requests for comment due to their policy not to discuss ongoing litigation. The most their spokeswoman would say is that the recall was the fault of an external packager and that patient health and safety are the company’s top priority.
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Contact the author at mark.shrayber@jezebel.com.
