Ortho Evra Patch News

 

Perils of the patch

-SheKnows.com

05/25/2008- Waves of controversy over the Ortho Evra patch have been highlighted in the news ever since the product has been linked with elevated risk of blood clots. The patch, mostly popular with younger women, has seen its sales decrease over the past few years as the risks have been highlighted by the press, and the makers of the product itself. How much are you at risk if you decide to use the patch, and aren't you still at risk if you use birth control pills that increase your levels of estrogen? The risks have been studied more than once over the last few years, and may be looked at once more.

The latest controversy the patch has seen came earlier this month as a group has petitioned to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take the patch off the market. If you are using the patch or considering it, read on to learn more about this controversial birth control to decide for yourself if its right for you.

HISTORY OF THE ORTHO EVRA PATCH

The Ortho Evra patch has traveled a bumpy road since it came onto the market in 2002. The idea of a new, seemingly more convenient method of contraception - a patch worn on the buttocks or abdomen, slightly larger than a postage stamp - would suit women who had a hard time remembering to swallow their birth control pills daily. The FDA approved the product in 2001 before it went on sale the following year.

RISKS OF THE ORTHO EVRA PATCH

In 2005, the makers of the patch, Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical (of Johnson and Johnson) issued a warning that the product put its users at a higher risk for blood clots because of its higher doses of estrogen.

Women who use the Ortho Evra patch absorb 60 percent more estrogen than women who use birth control pills as the preferred contraception. This warning came four months after the Associated Press released the results of their own investigation of the patch, which revealed that women who used the product were three times more likely to die and suffer blood clots than women on the pill.

The makers of the patch conducted their own study, releasing their results to the FDA, who reported that women using the patch had double the risk of blood clot development as those on birth control pills - a lower number than the AP findings.

WHO USES THE PATCH?

The patch was extremely popular when it was first released. The warnings and controversy have made the number of users drop considerably. In 2004, 9.9 million prescriptions for the Ortho Evra patch were filled - much higher than the 2.7 million filled in 2007. The largest users of the patch usually are teenagers and women in their 20s.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR WOMEN?

The latest controversy over the patch has been brought on by a consumer advocacy group, "Public Citizen" who petitioned the FDA to have the Ortho Evra Patch taken off the market.

From 2002 to 2006, the FDA reported at least 50 deaths linked to the patch. The FDA has had to update the labels for the patch in 2005, 2006, and 2008. The controversy has lead to legal troubles for Johnson and Johnson, who has been targeted with civil action lawsuits by 3,000 families of women affected.

Using the patch may or may not affect you negatively if you choose it as your method of contraception. Blood clots are a risk that all women must take if they are increasing the amount of estrogen in their bodies through any kind of contraception, as Dr. Waverly Peakes Ob/Gyn at The Methodist Hospital in Houston, TX points out.

"We know that at all times in our lives when we have elevated estrogen we are at increased risk of blood clots, which can be fatal if in the lungs or brain. So even in pregnancy we are all at this elevated risk," says Peakes.

However, the controversy resulted in her not giving out the patch for the last year because of the reports. This is disappointing for Peakes, because many of her patients like the patch.

While she hopes that further investigation may clear things up about the Ortho Evra patch, the risks are too great as of now. "There are too many other options for birth control that the patch should not be given until this is figured out," Peakes says.

For more information on women’s health, visit the SheKnows.com Health and Wellness Channel.

 

If you or someone you love has used the Ortho Evra Birth Control Patch and has experienced side effects such as: heart attack, stroke, blood clots, or deep vein thrombosis (DVT) you need to know your legal rights. Call our Ortho Evra side effects lawyers for a free legal consultation or to ask questions about a possible Ortho Evra lawsuit or Ortho Evra recall.