Danustouch
August 15th, 2001, 10:49 AM
And what will they dream up next???
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Contraceptive lasts one week; approval sought for next year
July 21, 1999
BY PHIL GALEWITZ
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK -- The biggest maker of birth control pills is developing a patch that delivers contraceptives through the skin and lasts a week.
Johnson & Johnson said Tuesday that the patches include the same ingredients as the pill and work just as well. The company plans to seek government approval early next year. A review by the Food and Drug Administration could take a year or more.
The manufacturer, which controls 39 percent of the U.S. oral contraceptives market, is in the final stages of testing the patch in several hundred women. The adhesive patch, which the company calls Evra, is the size of a half-dollar and can be worn on an arm -- or for those who want to keep it hidden, the abdomen or buttocks. The price has not been set, the company said.
It would be the newest type of birth control to hit the U.S. market since the injectable drug Depo-Provera in 1993.
"Our patients said they were very satisfied with it," said Sally Ward, clinical services director of Planned Parenthood of Minnesota and South Dakota. The agency's tests involved 25 women.
Family planning groups said women would welcome another option in trying to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
"For women who have difficulty remembering to take birth control pills, this is an excellent method," said Gloria Feldt, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
One drawback is that the patch must adhere to the skin, which could be difficult for women who sweat a lot. It also might cause some skin irritation.
Patches are already used to deliver a variety of other drugs, from antismoking treatments to estrogen replacement for postmenopausal women. The pill can cause nausea and vomiting in some women, but the patch can reduce those side effects because the drugs don't pass through the digestive system. By delivering a steady flow of drugs for an extended period, the patches can avoid the peak and valley effect of pills, also reducing side effects.
Theoretically, the patch would be easier for women to use because they would not have to remember each day to take a pill. Birth control pills are nearly 99-percent effective for preventing pregnancy when taken appropriately, family planning experts say.
However, studies have shown that up to 20 percent of teens using birth control pills forget to take them at least twice a month, said Dr. Elof Johansson, vice president of the Population Council, a reproductive health research group based in New York.
Johnson & Johnson is working on its patch with Cygnus, based in Redwood City, Calif. The company specializes in developing drugs that are delivered through the skin.
About 10.4 million U.S. women use birth control pills. The pill the most common form of birth control besides sterilization.
MORE HEALTH STORIES
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Contraceptive lasts one week; approval sought for next year
July 21, 1999
BY PHIL GALEWITZ
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK -- The biggest maker of birth control pills is developing a patch that delivers contraceptives through the skin and lasts a week.
Johnson & Johnson said Tuesday that the patches include the same ingredients as the pill and work just as well. The company plans to seek government approval early next year. A review by the Food and Drug Administration could take a year or more.
The manufacturer, which controls 39 percent of the U.S. oral contraceptives market, is in the final stages of testing the patch in several hundred women. The adhesive patch, which the company calls Evra, is the size of a half-dollar and can be worn on an arm -- or for those who want to keep it hidden, the abdomen or buttocks. The price has not been set, the company said.
It would be the newest type of birth control to hit the U.S. market since the injectable drug Depo-Provera in 1993.
"Our patients said they were very satisfied with it," said Sally Ward, clinical services director of Planned Parenthood of Minnesota and South Dakota. The agency's tests involved 25 women.
Family planning groups said women would welcome another option in trying to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
"For women who have difficulty remembering to take birth control pills, this is an excellent method," said Gloria Feldt, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
One drawback is that the patch must adhere to the skin, which could be difficult for women who sweat a lot. It also might cause some skin irritation.
Patches are already used to deliver a variety of other drugs, from antismoking treatments to estrogen replacement for postmenopausal women. The pill can cause nausea and vomiting in some women, but the patch can reduce those side effects because the drugs don't pass through the digestive system. By delivering a steady flow of drugs for an extended period, the patches can avoid the peak and valley effect of pills, also reducing side effects.
Theoretically, the patch would be easier for women to use because they would not have to remember each day to take a pill. Birth control pills are nearly 99-percent effective for preventing pregnancy when taken appropriately, family planning experts say.
However, studies have shown that up to 20 percent of teens using birth control pills forget to take them at least twice a month, said Dr. Elof Johansson, vice president of the Population Council, a reproductive health research group based in New York.
Johnson & Johnson is working on its patch with Cygnus, based in Redwood City, Calif. The company specializes in developing drugs that are delivered through the skin.
About 10.4 million U.S. women use birth control pills. The pill the most common form of birth control besides sterilization.
MORE HEALTH STORIES