LAWSUIT FILED IN L.A. AGAINST J&J OVER ORTHO EVRA BIRTH CONTROL PATCH

Eleven women from various states filed a personal injury lawsuit Feb. 9 in Los Angeles Superior Court against Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and other companies that manufactured, marketed and distributed the Ortho Evra birth control prescription patch.

The recent lawsuit comes in the wake of a suit filed by 43 women late last year against Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical and McKesson in a California superior court. That suit alleged the companies misrepresented the known risks associated with Ortho Evra.

A former J&J executive filed a complaint against the firm in November 2006, saying he was fired from J&J's Ethicon unit for raising safety concerns about products including Ortho Evra.