The first and only oral contraception containing a new, synthetic version of a naturally occurring oestrogen has been launched in the UK.
Gedeon Richter’s Drovelis (14.2mg estetrol [E4] plus 3mg drospirenone [DRSP]) as a combined oral contraceptive is now available.
The company cautions that any decision to prescribe E4/DRSP should take into consideration the individual woman’s current risk factors, particularly those for venous thromboembolism.
This announcement comes approximately a year after the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) granted a UK licence for E4/DRSP.
“Over three million women in the UK choose to take ‘the Pill’ as their main method of contraception. As healthcare professionals, we support increasing a patient’s contraceptive choice. For the first time, we are now able to prescribe a combined hormonal contraceptive tablet containing synthetic E4, plus the well-known progestogen DRSP,” commented Dr Diana Mansour, Consultant in Community Gynaecology and Reproductive Health Care, Newcastle upon Tyne.
The marketing authorisation is based on outcomes from two Phase III randomised control trials.
