May 8, 2008 11:26 pm US/Eastern
Consumer Group Wants Birth Control Patch Banned
WASHINGTON (WJZ) ―
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There's a call to ban a well-known birth control patch.
CBS4
There's a call to ban a well-known birth control patch.
Kathryn Brown reports a D.C. based consumer group filed a petition Thursday morning with the FDA calling on them to pull Ortho-Evra off pharmacy shelves saying there are simply too many risks and not enough benefits to the birth control patch.
The Ortho-Evra birth control patch debuted to high expectations from women.
"Not having to remember to take a pill every day, that's what really appealed to me about the patch," said a patient.
But in the years since its conception, the patch has come under intense scrutiny.
Now Dr. Sidney Wolfe with the consumer group Public Citizen is petitioning the FDA to pull the patch from the market citing there are many unique risks to the patch but few benefits.
"There's no evidence that it is any more effective in terms of preventing pregnancy, and there is actually evidence that there is a much higher risk of discontinuation with the patch than there is with the pill," said Wolfe.
Evidence compiled by Public Citizen and revealed on Ortho-Evra's own label shows the patch exposes women to 60 percent more estrogen than the pill.
This causes a two-fold increase in the risk of blood clots along with other serious side effects.
"I asked my doctor about it, and she told me that she was taking all her patients off it because she didn't think it was safe," said Joanna Edie.
"I think, first of all, they should have tested it longer before they put it out there and then they wouldn't have this kind of problem," said Juanita Jewel.
A spokesperson for Ortho-Evra says the patch is, "safe and effective when used according to the FDA-approved labeling," and that they "have always stated the known risks associated with its use", adding "women's needs for birth control methods are individual."
"I don't think pulling it off the shelves is the answer. I think educating the public is the answer," said Andra Tamburro.
The petition recommends that the FDA wait at least six months before pulling the patch entirely so that women can transition to another form of birth control instead of going without any contraceptive at all.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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