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Bayer expands patient assistance program for intrauterine devices

Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced the expansion of its patient assistance program for intrauterine devices (IUD). The ARCH (Access and Resources for Contraceptive Health) program will provide Skyla (levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system) 13.5 mg and Mirena (levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system) 52 mg to low-income women who meet eligibility criteria.

23 Feb 2015

Cervical treatment procedures do not affect fertility, shows study

Common surgical procedures used to diagnose and treat precancerous cervical lesions do not decrease women's chances of becoming pregnant, according to a study that followed nearly 100,000 women for up to 12 years.

12 Feb 2015

Study: IUDs, contraceptive implants remain highly effective one year beyond approved duration of use

New research indicates that hormonal intrauterine devices (IUDs) and contraceptive implants remain highly effective one year beyond their approved duration of use, according to a study at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

6 Feb 2015

Providing knowledge about contraception can significantly improve use of isotretinoin

Providing women who take a powerful acne drug with a fact sheet about contraception while visiting the dermatologist can significantly improve their awareness of the most effective birth control options and may prevent unintended pregnancies and birth defects that can be caused by the drug, according to a University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine study published Feb. 4 in the journal JAMA Dermatology.

5 Feb 2015

Mylan signs definitive agreement to acquire Famy Care's female health care businesses

Mylan Inc. today announced that it has, through its Indian subsidiary Mylan Laboratories Limited, signed a definitive agreement to acquire certain female health care businesses from Famy Care Limited, a specialty women's health care company with global leadership in generic oral contraceptive products (OCPs) for $750 million in cash plus additional contingent payments of up to $50 million.

2 Feb 2015

Taking hormonal contraceptives for five years doubles brain tumour risk

Taking a hormonal contraceptive for at least five years is associated with a possible increase in a young woman's risk of developing a rare tumour, glioma of the brain. This project focussed on women aged 15 -49 years and the findings are published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.

22 Jan 2015

Injectable hormonal contraceptive appears to increase HIV risk in women

Women using depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA), commonly known as Depo-Provera or the birth control shot, have a moderately increased risk of becoming infected with HIV, a large meta-analysis of 12 studies involving more than 39 500 women published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases has found. Other forms of hormonal contraception, including oral contraceptive pills, do not appear to increase this risk.

12 Jan 2015

Abbvie’s HOLKIRA PAK for chronic genotype 1 Hepatitis C treatment receives Health Canada approval

AbbVie receives Health Canada approval for HOLKIRA PAK (ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir film-coated tablets; dasabuvir film-coated tablets), an all-oral, short-course (12 weeks for the majority of patients), interferon-free treatment, with or without ribavirin (RBV), for the treatment of patients with genotype 1 (GT1) chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, including those with cirrhosis.

23 Dec 2014

Certain complementary medicines may cause side effects, warns NPS MedicineWise

With new information from Melbourne’s Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre revealing that some complementary medicines can interact with cancer treatment, NPS MedicineWise reminds all Australians that complementary medicines can cause side effects, and interact with other over-the-counter and prescription medicines.

19 Dec 2014

Research outlines new model for measuring acceptability of contraceptive vaginal ring

The Population Council published new research in the November issue of the journal Contraception demonstrating that an investigational one-year contraceptive vaginal ring containing Nestorone and ethinyl estradiol was found to be highly acceptable among women enrolled in a Phase 3 clinical trial.

18 Dec 2014

NPS MedicineWise urges travellers to be medicinewise this holiday season

As many Australians prepare to travel both interstate and overseas this holiday season, NPS MedicineWise is urging people to be medicinewise when travelling with their medicines.

16 Dec 2014

Genetic testing, risk factor assessment could improve prevention strategies for breast cancer

Scientists used mathematical models to show that analysing genetic data, alongside a range of other risk factors, could substantially improve the ability to flag up women at highest risk of developing breast cancer.

14 Nov 2014

Mylan announces U.S. launch of generic Loestrin 24 Fe

Mylan Inc. today announced the U.S. launch of its Norethindrone Acetate and Ethinyl Estradiol Tablets USP, 1 mg/0.02 mg and Ferrous Fumarate, which is the generic version of Warner Chilcott's Loestrin 24 Fe.

5 Nov 2014

UMass Amherst epidemiologist investigates risk of early menopause

The estimated 10 percent of women in Western nations who enter menopause before age 45 have an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease, as well as lower fertility. Now epidemiologist Elizabeth Bertone-Johnson at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is conducting the first large study to investigate whether vitamin D deficiency, inflammatory factors, hormones and other factors are associated with risk of early menopause, funded by NIH.

29 Oct 2014

Population Council to present research on novel approaches to HIV prevention at HIV R4P 2014

The Population Council will present new research on novel approaches to HIV, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and unintended pregnancy prevention at the HIV Research for Prevention Conference, (HIV R4P) in Cape Town, South Africa. HIV R4P, which runs 28–31 October, is the first global scientific meeting dedicated exclusively to research on biomedical HIV prevention.

27 Oct 2014

New book offers advice on how to meet contraceptive needs of women with chronic medical problems

Women with chronic medical conditions can be at higher risk for complications during pregnancy and therefore require specialized preconception and contraceptive care and counseling. However, many medical providers are hesitant to prescribe contraception to these women due to concerns about the safety of various contraceptives with co-existing medical disorders.

16 Oct 2014

State highlights: Calif. health insurers and contraception coverage; Alaska sues Xerox over Medicaid payment systems

Health insurance policies in California will have to cover all federally approved contraceptives for women by 2016 without charging co-payments under legislation signed this week by Gov. Jerry Brown, countering trends in other states and the U.S. Supreme Court. The bill, SB1053 by Sen. Holly Mitchell, D-Los Angeles, expands state laws that required coverage for most birth-control drugs and devices approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The new law mandates coverage for all FDA-approved contraception, prohibits co-payments and includes managed-care Medi-Cal plans, which are not expressly covered by current laws (Egelko, 9/27).

30 Sep 2014

State highlights: Calif. gov. vetoes bill limiting Medi-Cal estate recovery, signs birth control, inmate bills

In a blow to tens of thousands of low-income Californians newly enrolled in Medi-Cal under a provision in the Affordable Care Act, Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday vetoed a bill that would have limited the state's seizure of assets from their estates after they die -- a legal wrinkle that most only discovered after they had signed up for the health care plan for the poor (Seipel, 9/25).

27 Sep 2014

State highlights: Calif. gov. signs rural telehealth bill; Louisiana's ex-health secretary indicted

States around the country are taking advantage of a once little-used policy that allows them to bill Medicaid for the healthcare expenses of prisoners who leave a correctional institution for treatment. Since 1997, states have been allowed to bill Medicaid for the care of inmates who required treatment at a hospital or nursing facility for longer than 24 hours. The provision has drawn new attention this year as millions of Americans, including those serving time in correctional institutions, have become newly eligible for Medicaid under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Dickson, 9/23).

25 Sep 2014

Despite FDA warning, many gynecologists still using controversial surgical tool

Federal officials warned in April that the tool, called a morcellator, can spread undetected cancer.

23 Sep 2014