The FDA today approved a daily pill that postpones menstruation indefinitely. Named Lybrel, the pill was approved after a delayed decision eleven months ago to gather more data.
Analysis of clinical trial data from last year shows that 43% of 2,134 women completed the trial, and 19 of those women became pregnant while using it. In what may be a separate clinical trial, Lybrel caused bleeding or spotting in 65% to 70% of the women using it.
Unlike other oral contraceptives that require users to take 21 days of active pills followed by seven days of a sugar pill, Lybrel is designed to be taken every day.
Table of Malcontents* blogger Annalee Newitz commented on Lybrel last month -- and her picture is much more evocative.
Wyeth Wins U.S. Approval of No-Period Birth Control [Bloomberg]
