Public Citizen calls for US FDA to ban third-gen oral contraceptives

The US Food and Drug Administration should immediately ban third-generation oral contraceptives containing desogestrel because they almost double the risk of life-threatening blood clots compared to older forms of birth control pills, the US consumer group Public Citizen has said in a petition filed on February 6.

It is estimated that American women filled more than 7.5 million prescriptions for third-generation OCs from November 2005 to October 2006. Banning the pills, says Public Citizen, could save hundreds of women a year from developing venous thrombosis, which have disabling and sometimes fatal consequences.

Opens dialog on safe birth control