1/9/2008

Is the Evra Birth Control Patch Causing Fatal Side Effects?

Janssen-Ortho, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, is facing more than 2,000 lawsuits from women suffering from side effects of using the birth control patch Evra. The deaths of two Canadian women and the complaints of thousands more Evra users have attracted attention from both health officials and government organizations.

Birth control patches work by releasing estrogen and progesitin hormones through the skin. Manufacturers and some researchers claim the patch is as effective birth control pills. The patches are applied to a woman's body, generally the arm, thigh, or buttocks, during the first day of her menstrual cycle or the first Sunday following the beginning of her menstrual cycle. The patch is replaced every week until the fourth week when the patch is not worn at all. After the forth week the cycle begins again.

When the Ortho Evra birth control patch was first released the manufacturer said the risks of the patch were the same as any other birth control product. All birth control pills carry the risk, although extremely rare, of serious or fatal thromboembolic events. Thrombosis forms blood clots in blood vessels.

Recent research however, has suggested that the Ortho Evra birth control patch has a much greater chance of thrombosis complications. The two Canadian Ortho Evra users died after suffering blood clots and other medical problem over the course of four years. In 2007 Johnson & Johnson paid a $1.25 million lawsuit settlement to the family of a 14-year-old Wisconsin girl. A 38-year-old woman in Toronto suffered from blood clots in both lungs after using the patch for three months. The woman had not previous problems with blood clots and had no history in her family to suggest she was predisposed to a greater risk of clots.

In Canada, the patch has been available for a little over three years. Health Canada has reported 93 incidents of adverse reactions with most of the women being in their teens, 20s, or early 30s.

Health experts haven't proved solid connections between Ortho Evra patch and a greater risk of medical complications but that hasn't stopped government health officials from issuing warnings over the use of Ortho Evra. Health Canada reminded doctors and other health professionals about potential risks of circulatory problems in patients using the birth control patch Ortho Evra. Recently the U.S Food and Drug Administration warned health professionals about a increased risk of Ortho Evra patch users developing blood clots in their legs and lungs.