Related News

Study backs findings that some newer contraceptive pills more likely to cause VTE Women's Health and Obs/Gyn Page

A new study confirms earlier findings that certain oral contraceptive pills including those with desogestrel, gestodene, or drospirenone, including Safyral, from Bayer HealthCare, are more likely to cause serious blood clots (venous thromboembolism - VTE ) than others. The authors, led by Dr Øjvind Lidegaard from the University of Copenhagen, say that women on pills containing one of the newer types of progestogen hormone (drospirenone, desogestrel or gestodene) have double the risk of VTE than women on pills containing an older progestogen (levonorgestrel). The researchers reviewed data of the hormonal contraception patterns and first time VTE episodes for all Danish non-pregnant women between the ages of 15 and 49 from January 2001 until December 2009. Though the relative risk of VTE whilst taking the oral contraceptive pill is still low, compared with non-users of hormonal contraception, pills with levonorgestrel increase the risk of VTE threefold and pills with drospirenone, desogestrel or gestodene increase the risk sixfold. In absolute terms, the risk of VTE in current users of newer pills is about 10 per 10,000 women years. See: "Risk of venous thromboembolism from use of oral contraceptives containing different progestogens and oestrogen doses: Danish cohort study, 2001-9" Øjvind Lidegaard et al. British Medical Journal 2011;343:d6423 doi: 10.1136/bmj.d6423

Contraceptives containing Beyaz (Bayer Healthcare) show higher risk of blood clots Women's Health and Obs/Gyn Page

The use of oral Contraceptive pills that contain Beyaz (drospirenone), from Bayer Healthcare, is linked to a significantly higher risk of blood clots, both deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, according to an article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. The study found that the use of Beyz-containing combined oral contraceptives was associated with a significantly increased risk of venous thrombotic events (deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism) but not arterial thrombotic events (transient ischemic attack and cerebrovascular accident), relative to use of second- or third-generation combined oral contraceptives. Risk was highest in the early months of use. Older age, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cancer and obesity were also risk factors for blood clots. The FDA will discuss the risks and benefits of these contraceptives at a meeting of the Reproductive Health Drugs Advisory Committee and the Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee on Dec. 8, 2011. See: "Higher risk of venous thrombosis associated with drospirenone-containing oral contraceptives: a population-based cohort study" Naomi Gronich, Idit Lavi, Gad Rennert. CMAJ November 7, 2011 First published November 7, 2011, doi: 10.1503/cmaj.110463

Nomac/E2 is rejected by FDA as a contraceptive Women's Health and Obs/Gyn Page

Zoely/Nomac/E2 is a combined contraceptive pill (nomegestrol acetate (a progestogen) and estradiol (an oestrogen) which was approved by EMA for Teva Pharma on 17 July 2011 to be launched by year end and rejected by the FDA for Merck Inc. some days ago.

More News