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The 'patch' is deadlier than the 'pill' London: The Evra Patch, a contraceptive manufactured by Ortho McNeil Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, has been found to release high levels of the harmone oestrogen, which is known to cause blood clots in women. The Evra patch was launched in June 2003 and has since become very popular among women, as it vitually guarantees protection against an unwanted pregnancy. A study conducted on 3,319 women found that the patch had a failure rate of only about 0.4 percent. In other words, only 15 women out of the entire group became pregnant after using it. This is far lower than the failure rate of the oral contraceptive pill. The Evra patch prevents unwanted pregnancies by releasing the harmone progestogen. However, it has now been found that while the patch reduces the risk of pregnancy, it also increases the risk of blood clots in the body, as it realeases 60 percent more oestrogen than the Pill. The Evra patch, which was hailed as the biggest revolution in the field of family planning, has now been linked to more than a dozen deaths and several cases of life-threatening complications in the United States. Smokers
also face an increased risk of strokes and heart attacks. Though the
company maintains that the contraceptive still provides a 'safe and
effective' method of birth control to women, the findings have caused
the American Food and Drug Aministration(FDA) to order a new labelling
for the Evra patch in the US, so as to make women aware of the risks.
"Any new information about how a method works, its advantages and disadvantages
is useful as it enables women to make a more informed choice about their
contraception." "Women should not suddenly stop using the patch as they
would risk pregnancy, but if concerned should seek advice from their
health professional," The Daily Mail quoted Toni Belfield, director
of information at the fpa (family planing association), as saying. The
Patch, which is also extremely popular in Europe and especially in England,
where some statistics say that around 10,000 British women use it. The
European Medical Evaluation Agency, may also insist on a change of labelling
after it considers the US move.
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