The popular Ortho Evra contraceptive patch, manufactured by Johnson & Johnson, was the subject of a November 10, 2005, FDA warning stating that the birth control patch contains higher levels of estrogen known to cause an increased risk of blood clots than average birth control pills. As a result, Ortho Evras label was changed to reflect that women using the patch are exposed to 60 percent more estrogen than those who use a typical pill.
Since the arrival of the Ortho Evra birth control patch to the market in 2002, the FDA has received twenty-one reports of life-threatening blood clots and other ailments associated with the contraceptive patch. The birth control patch has also been linked to the deaths of at least seventeen young American women who suffered fatal heart attacks, blood clots and possible strokes over the past two years. Ortho-McNeil, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson and the manufacturer of Ortho Evra, has aggressively marketed the birth control patch as a convenient alternative to oral birth control pills. Approximately 4 million women have used the Ortho Evra Birth Control Patch since it entered the market.
Motley Rice is currently investigating cases in which women who used Ortho Evra birth control patches suffered blood clots, strokes or heart attacks. For more information, please contact Carmen Scott at cscott@motleyrice.com.
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Patient Information Sheet
Norlegstromin/ethinyl estradiol
(marketed as Ortho Evra)
(November 22, 2002, updated: September 20, 2006)
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Ortho Evra Med Watch
(November 10, 2005)
click here
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FDA Updates Labeling for Ortho Evra Contraceptive Patch
(November 10, 2005)
click here
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Higher Estrogen Exposure with Ortho Evra Contraceptive Patch - Patient Safety News
(January 2006)
click here
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Questions and Answers - Ortho Evra
norelgestromin/ethinyl estradiol)
(September 20, 2006)
click here
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