Birth control pill lawsuit after 111 women get pregnant

MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - More than 100 women who thought they were protected from pregnancy by their birth control pills have filed a lawsuit against the manufacturer. The lawsuit alleges a mistake in some of the packaging led to women taking placebo pills instead of active pills. As a result, 111 women became pregnant and 94 gave birth.

Three of the women, including the lead plaintiff, live in the Twin Cities. The lawsuit asks for millions of dollars in damages, including for pain and suffering, lost wages and child-rearing expenses.

The pills were made by Qualitest Pharmaceuticals and were recalled in 2011. We asked a clinical pharmacist with the University of Minnesota what women should do if they're nervous.

“If you are concerned, you can always bring your medication back to your pharmacy and you can always verify with them if this is one of the recalled medications,” said pharmacist Jean Moon.

Endo, the parent company of Qualitest, sent a statement to Fox 9 saying the recall was 4 years ago and based on an "extremely small number of pill packs."