Chances Of Japanese OC Approval This Year Now Fading

Following the announcement by a Japanese Central Pharmaceutical AffairsCouncil subcommittee to hold back on making a decision as to whether it will approve the use of oral contraceptives until the next meeting on October 28, hopes of there being approval in 1997 are now considerably dimmer, reports the Japan Times.

Even if the committee does approve the pill on October 28, the JT notes, the decision will still have to be endorsed by the Council's standing session, which will be held in December, and the Council must hear public opinions before giving its official approval.

The subcommittee started its deliberation on OCs last March, after a February confirmation by the Council that OCs are safe and effective. However, even by June, hopes of any positive conclusions started to fade after some members of the public health committee expressed the view that they would discourage the use of condoms and so lead to the spread of AID and HIV (Marketletter June 16).