Birth Control News and Research

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Wis. pushes to expand Medicaid funding for contraceptives, Minnesota encourages 'medical homes,' Md. settles nursing home payment case

"Wisconsin is pushing to expand a controversial program that uses federal Medicaid funds to provide free birth-control pills, vasectomies and other forms of contraception to low-income people, an effort made possible by the federal health-care overhaul. It and 26 other states already provide free contraception and other reproductive-health services through a Medicaid pilot project to lower-earning women who otherwise wouldn't qualify."

19 Aug 2010

First Edition: August 18, 2010

In today's headlines, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners takes action on key recommendations related to health reform implementation.

18 Aug 2010

Oral contraceptives equally effective for obese women

The first study to compare the effectiveness of the birth control pill in women with marked weight differences has found that the pill works equally well in women with obesity and thinner women. This new finding by physician-scientists at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center refutes a long-held conviction among many doctors that the pill may not reliably prevent pregnancy in women who are overweight or obese.

17 Aug 2010

Watson to launch ella emergency contraceptive in fourth-quarter 2010

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced that it intends to launch ella® (ulipristal acetate), a novel oral emergency contraceptive, in the fourth quarter of 2010. Watson's announcement follows the approval of ella® by the FDA as safe and effective in preventing unintended pregnancy for up to 120 hours – or five days – post-unprotected intercourse (UPI) or contraceptive failure.

16 Aug 2010

Mass. docs will soon track patients who abuse prescription drugs; Wis. Catholic Church employees now eligible for birth control

The Boston Globe: "With a few computer keystrokes, Massachusetts physicians will soon be able to identify patients who travel from clinic to clinic in pursuit of potent prescription drugs that feed lethal addictions. State health regulators yesterday unanimously approved the new detection system designed to stop 'doctor shopping' by addicted patients who try to dupe doctors into prescribing narcotics. The practice, specialists said, has fueled a surge in drug-related deaths in Massachusetts" (Smith, 8/12).

13 Aug 2010

Today's Opinions: Health law's effect for Democrats; Canadians' view; Cutting Medicare costs; The health issue in Tenn. Governor's race

Despite lofty predictions that a broad-based Democratic constituency would be activated by the health care reform bill, recent polling shows that the bill has been a disaster for the party — with near 60 percent of voters saying that they oppose the measure (Douglas Schoen, 8/11).

13 Aug 2010

FDA approves longer Valcyte therapy for CMV disease in adult kidney transplant patients

Genentech, Inc., a member of the Roche Group, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved increasing the length of therapy with Valcyte (valganciclovir hydrochloride) in adult kidney transplant patients at high risk for cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease.

11 Aug 2010

Conceptus second-quarter 2010 net sales increase 11.5% to $36.8 million

Conceptus, Inc., developer of the Essure procedure, the first proven non-surgical permanent birth control method available, today reported financial results for the three months ended June 30, 2010.

6 Aug 2010

Merck's two pivotal boceprevir Phase III registration studies for chronic HCV meet primary endpoint

Merck reported that two pivotal Phase III registration studies for boceprevir, its investigational oral hepatitis C protease inhibitor, have been completed and met the primary endpoints: in both studies in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 infection, the addition of boceprevir to treatment with PEGINTRON® and REBETOL® significantly increased the number of patients who achieved sustained virologic response, compared to control groups that received Peg/riba plus placebo.

5 Aug 2010

Conceptus’ Essure procedure effective for permanent birth control

According to the recently released 2006-08 National Survey of Family Growth by the Center for Disease Control, one in four women choose permanent birth control. Conceptus, Inc. wants women to know that its Essure permanent birth control procedure has been gaining in popularity, and is a safe and effective solution used by hundreds of thousands of women worldwide.

4 Aug 2010

Merck signs non-exclusive license agreement with LabCorp for commercialization of genetic test

Merck announced a non-exclusive license agreement with Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings for the commercialization of a genetic test that may help predict the response of patients with Hepatitis C virus infection to peginterferon alpha-based therapy.

28 Jul 2010

Genentech disappointed with FDA ODAC's recommendation against Avastin

Genentech, Inc., a member of the Roche Group, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) voted 12 to one that use of Avastin® (bevacizumab) in combination with paclitaxel for previously untreated (first-line) advanced HER2-negative breast cancer be removed from Avastin's U.S. label.

21 Jul 2010

Abbott presents 48-week PROGRESS study results at 28th International AIDS Conference

Abbott today presented 48-week findings comparing an HIV regimen of its protease inhibitor (PI), Kaletra® (lopinavir/ritonavir), and Merck's integrase inhibitor, Isentress® (raltegravir), to a traditional HIV regimen of Kaletra and the nucleotide/nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) in Truvada® (tenofovir and emtricitabine) in antiretroviral-naive adult patients. Efficacy data were collected over the first 48 weeks of the 96-week PROGRESS (PROtease/InteGRasE Simplification Study) study.

20 Jul 2010

Insurers will pick up preventive care costs under new rules

The recommendations of a federal task force on preventive care - once just suggestions for doctors - will soon become coverage requirements for private insurers under regulations unveiled Wednesday by the Obama administration, according to Kaiser Health News and The Washington Post. "Under the new health care overhaul law, insurers will be required to pay fully for services that get an "A" or "B" recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a volunteer group made up of primary care and public health experts."

16 Jul 2010

Rules for free preventive services requirement to be announced

During a Wednesday news conference, the Obama administration is expected to unveil regulations showing which preventive services insurers will be required to provide free-of-charge to consumers under the health overhaul law, The Wall Street Journal reports.

15 Jul 2010

Fear of having something in uterus deters teen girls from using intrauterine devices for birth control

Very few teenage girls in the United States use intrauterine devices for birth control, even though studies show they are safe, effective and extremely low-maintenance, according to researchers at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital and the Stanford School of Medicine.

9 Jul 2010

Hormonal contraceptives are less effective for birth control in overweight or obese women: Study

As obesity continues to be a worldwide health risk, one of its "side effects" could include less effective birth control for overweight and obese women who use hormonal contraceptives.

9 Jul 2010

KHN column – Insuring your health: Should patients get contraceptives from health plans at no cost?

"The average American woman who wants two children spends roughly five years trying to get pregnant or being pregnant. She spends a much longer time - 30 years, on average - trying to avoid pregnancy, often at no small expense. That may soon change, at least the expense part" (7/6).

7 Jul 2010

Some state insurance commissioners push back on Fed premium rate reviews

Politico: Some state insurance commissioners are not happy with a proposal that would give the federal government the authority to centralize premium rate reviews of health insurance.