The manufacturer, Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical Co., and distributor, McKesson Corp. of the Food and Drug Administration approved contraceptive are named as defendants.
The patch, Ortho Evra, delivers the hormones estrogen and progestin into the bloodstream through the skin.
The lawsuit accuses the pharmaceutical companies of failing to fully investigate the patch's safety. It also claims that the companies deceived the public regarding the severity of potential side effects.
An attorney for the plaintiffs said that the contraceptive should be removed from the market because it puts women at risk by giving them more hormones than is safe.
Last September, the FDA authored a warning telling women that the use of the Ortho Evra contraceptive patch could increase ones chances of developing blood clots in the legs and lungs two-fold compared to taking the birth-control pill.
The pharmaceutical label was updated to present these findings.
The lawsuit was filed at the San Francisco Superior Court.
