|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By Ben Hirschler
LONDON, Mar 14 (Reuters) - A revolutionary contraceptive ring, due to go on sale in the United States this year, is as effective as the Pill, despite delivering substantially less hormone, a leading scientist said on Wednesday.
The flexible plastic device, which is inserted into the vagina each month, fits around the cervix and releases a steady flow of both progestogen and oestrogen to prevent conception.
"The results are very promising indeed," said Frans Roumen, a gynaecologist at the Atrium Medisch Centrum in Heerlen, the Netherlands, who conducted a year-long study on the ring made by Organon, a unit of Akzo Nobel.
Roumen found only six pregnancies among 1,145 women who used the ring over one year, a failure rate of well under 1%, making it as effective as oral contraceptives. Results of his research were published in the journal Human Reproduction.
The ring, which is about 5 centimetres (2 inches) in diameter and is folded before use, can be inserted and removed by women themselves.
It is designed to be kept in for 3 weeks followed by a 1-week ring-free menstruation period, although it is possible in future it might be used continuously to stop periods altogether.
Organon plans to launch its Nuvaring product in the US market this year with Europe following later, once marketing approval is received.
It is not the first contraceptive ring to be developed but it offers a significant advantage over previous versions, which only released progestogen and resulted in abnormal bleeding.
Vaginal rings are also being developed for other treatments. Northern Ireland drug company Galen Holdings, Plc, plans to launch a ring for delivering hormone replacement therapy in Britain within the next couple of months.
In addition to convenience, Roumen said Nuvaring's low dose would be a major plus for women worried about high hormone levels in the Pill.
"The ring releases hormones continuously through the vaginal mucus, which is completely different from using a pill, which produces an initial increase in hormones and then a decrease," he told Reuters.
"It leads to less complaints, better bleeding patterns and the total daily dose is less than when using the Pill."
That may be good news for women at risk for blood clots. Oestrogen has been associated with increasing that risk.
According to the report, the ring released etonogestrel 120 micrograms and ethinyl oestradiol 15 micrograms daily over a period of 3 weeks. Each ring was used for one cycle, comprising 3 weeks of ring use followed by a 1-week ring-free period.
Altogether, 1,145 women were exposed to the ring for 12,109 cycles (928 woman-years).
"The ring was well tolerated. The majority of women considered this new contraceptive method easy to use, and it offers an effective, convenient, well-accepted and novel method for hormonal contraception," the study concludes.
SOURCE: Human Reproduction 2001;16: 469-475.
| Health Topics | Drug Information | Dictionaries | Directories | Other Resources |
|
U.S. National Library of Medicine, 8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20894
Copyright and Privacy Policy, We welcome your comments. Last updated: 15 March 2001 |