Levonorgestrel News and Research

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Federal judge criticizes FDA regarding Plan B contraception decision

Judge Edward R. Korman said the Food and Drug Administration's efforts to delay his ruling regarding the so-called morning-after pill was "nonsense" and would hurt poor and minority women.

9 May 2013

First Edition: May 2, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about a new study detailing how expanded Medicaid access impacts beneficiaries' utilization of health care services and their overall physical health.

2 May 2013

FDA OKs over-the-counter 'Plan B' contraception for women and girls older than age 15

The move, regulators said, was made independent of a recent federal district judge's ruling that called for the emergency contraceptive to be made available over-the-counter to women of all ages without restriction.

2 May 2013

Women & Infants Hospital physician to study treatment options for heavy menstrual bleeding

Kristen A. Matteson, MD, MPH, of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Women & Infants Hospital and assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, has earned a $1.6 million grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health to study the effectiveness of two treatments options for heavy menstrual bleeding.

23 Apr 2013

FDA approves Teva's Quartette tablets for prevention of pregnancy

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Quartette (levonorgestrel/ethinyl estradiol and ethinyl estradiol) tablets for the prevention of pregnancy.

30 Mar 2013

Mirena coil intrauterine device a better treatment for heavy menstrual periods

The hormone-releasing Mirena coil intrauterine device (IUD) is a better treatment for heavy menstrual periods than other conventional medical approaches, according to results of a major clinical trial led by scientists from the Universities of Nottingham and Birmingham.

11 Jan 2013

IUD insertion does not increase risk of pelvic inflammatory disease in women

The risk of developing pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) following insertion of an intrauterine device (IUD) is very low, whether or not women have been screened beforehand for gonorrhea and chlamydia, according to a joint study of nearly 60,000 women by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research.

21 Nov 2012

Drospirenone-containing birth control pills associated with increased risk of blood clots

A U.S. Food and Drug Administration-funded study led by the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research found an increased risk of arterial thrombotic events (ATE) and venous thromboembolic events (VTE) - commonly referred to as blockage of arteries and blood clots, respectively - associated with drospirenone-containing birth control pills compared to four low-dose estrogen combined hormonal contraceptives.

20 Oct 2012

Transvaginal ultrasound effective in treating early-stage endometrial cancer

A common birth control device is effective in treating early-stage endometrial cancer in morbidly obese and high-risk surgery patients, said Georgia Health Sciences University Cancer Center researchers, and could lead to a cost-effective treatment for all women with this cancer type.

17 Oct 2012

Contraceptive patch suppresses ovulation in obese, nonobese women

Use of a novel transdermal contraceptive patch suppresses ovulation in obese and nonobese women, research shows.

12 Oct 2012

FDA accepts Teva's NDA for Quartette oral contraceptive

Teva Women's Health, Inc., a U.S.-based subsidiary of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted for filing its New Drug Application for Quartette (levonorgestrel/ethinyl estradiol tablets and ethinyl estradiol tablets).

13 Aug 2012

FDA approves Watson's ANDA for Next Choice ONE DOSE emergency contraceptive

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that its subsidiary Watson Laboratories, Inc., has received approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Next Choice ONE DOSE (Levonorgestrel Tablet, 1.5 mg), the generic equivalent to Teva Women's Health's Plan B One-Step. Watson plans to launch the product immediately.

13 Jul 2012

Teva announces new data from women's health franchise

Teva Women's Health today announced new data from the Company's expanding women's health franchise will be featured at the 60th Annual Clinical Meeting of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) in San Diego, California, May 5-9, 2012.

5 May 2012

Bayer announces updated labels for drospirenone-containing COCs in the U.S.

In agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced that it has updated the labels for its drospirenone-containing combination oral contraceptives (COCs) in the United States.

11 Apr 2012

Morning after pills difficult for teenagers to procure

Quite a few U.S. pharmacies may give teen girls incorrect information over the phone about whether they can get the morning-after pill. The pill is a form of emergency contraception taken within 72 hours after unprotected sex to prevent pregnancy without a prescription, a new study suggests.

27 Mar 2012

HHS: Plan B access will stay limited

The Department of Health and Human Services announced today that the morning-after pill, known as Plan B, will continue to be kept behind the pharmacy counter and girls younger than 17 will continue to need a prescription to obtain it.

8 Dec 2011

Watson introduces Amethia Lo and ethinyl estradiol tablets

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that under a settlement with Teva Women's Health, Watson has launched Amethia Lo (levonorgestrel/ethinyl estradiol (0.1mg/0.02mg) and ethinyl estradiol (0.01mg)) tablets, the generic equivalent of Teva Women's Health, Inc.'s LoSEASONIQUE.

8 Dec 2011

Oral hormonal contraceptives linked to blood clots: Study

A new study has shown that women who use new type of contraceptive pills are twice as likely to develop life threatening blood clots as those who take older versions. Oral hormonal contraceptives have been known to increase the risk of a blood clot in deep leg veins, known as venous thromboembolism (VTE). These can prove fatal if they travel to the lungs. But, researchers at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, found the “third-generation” pills are doubly harmful than the older versions.

30 Oct 2011

FDA: Study suggests increased risk of blood clots from drospirenone-containing contraceptives

On Monday, the United States Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") said its primary results of an agency funded study suggest a 1.5 fold increase risk of blood clots for women who use drospirenone-containing birth control products, such as Yaz and Yasmin.

28 Sep 2011

Watson Pharmaceuticals confirms SEASONIQUE patent challenge

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading integrated global pharmaceutical company, today confirmed that the United States District Court for the District of Nevada denied Duramed Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s request for a preliminary injunction and request for a temporary restraining order preventing Watson's launch of generic SEASONIQUE and ethinyl estradiol.

18 Jun 2011