
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, June 22, 1995                   TAG: 9506220047
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By JAN VERTEFEUILLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

NORPLANT USERS SUE DRUG MAKER

A group of women who have used the contraceptive Norplant filed a lawsuit against its maker in federal court in Roanoke this week, saying they have suffered emotional and physical problems while using it.

Norplant consists of six small capsules implanted in a woman's arm. The capsules remain under the skin for five years, releasing hormones to prevent pregnancy. Since Norplant went on the market in 1991, about 1million Americans have used it.

The lawsuit in federal court is one of many individual and class-action suits filed around the country against Norplant's maker, Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories. The Roanoke suit, filed on behalf of 23 women across Virginia and North Carolina, claims Norplant causes more problems than other forms of birth control and that it is difficult and painful to remove.

The suit also alleges that the device has been marketed to low-income women and that many cannot afford to pay for the procedure required to remove it.

A spokeswoman for Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories said the company stands behind the product and has no plans to take it off the market. The company believes it has been unfairly singled out by plaintiffs' attorneys and said the device has been studied for more than 20 years.

Norplant became the first hormonal drug implant on the market in 1991 and was hailed as revolutionary, with a 99 percent effectiveness rate and no maintenance required. Since then, Wyeth-Ayerst has been hit with lawsuits all over the country.

The Roanoke suit alleges that the maker failed to tell consumers that other forms of birth control are safer and have fewer side effects. Wyeth-Ayerst maintains that the most common side effect is irregular menstrual bleeding, with other effects including headaches, nausea, dizziness and nervousness.

The lawsuit claims that in addition to those effects, users can suffer from weight gain, enlargement of the ovaries, skin discoloration, and numbness and pain in the arm. And since the device requires surgical removal, users "lose the independent ability to control discontinuation."

The attorney representing the 23 women, Kevin Ryan of Charlottesville, could not be reached for comment. The suit asks for unspecified damages.

by CNB