DRUG DESCRIPTION
BEYAZ (DROSPIRENONE/ETHINYL ESTRADIOL/LEVOMEFOLATE CALCIUM TABLETS AND LEVOMEFOLATE CALCIUM TABLETS) PROVIDES AN ORAL CONTRACEPTIVE REGIMEN CONSISTING OF 28 FILM-COATED TABLETS THAT CONTAIN THE ACTIVE INGREDIENTS SPECIFIED FOR EACH TABLET BELOW:
24 PINK TABLETS EACH CONTAINING 3 MG DRSP, 0.02 MG EE AS BETADEX CLATHRATE, AND 0.451 MG LEVOMEFOLATE CALCIUM
4 LIGHT ORANGE TABLETS EACH CONTAINING 0.451 MG LEVOMEFOLATE CALCIUM
THE INACTIVE INGREDIENTS IN THE PINK TABLETS ARE LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE NF, MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE NF, CROSCARMELLOSE SODIUM NF, HYDROXYPROPYL CELLULOSE NF, MAGNESIUM STEARATE NF, HYPROMELLOSE USP, TITANIUM DIOXIDE USP, TALC USP, POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL NF, FERRIC OXIDE PIGMENT, RED NF. THE LIGHT ORANGE FILM-COATED TABLETS CONTAIN 0.451 MG OF LEVOMEFOLATE CALCIUM. THE INACTIVE INGREDIENTS IN THE LIGHT ORANGE TABLETS ARE LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE NF, MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE NF, CROSCARMELLOSE SODIUM NF, HYDROXYPROPYL CELLULOSE NF, MAGNESIUM STEARATE NF, HYPROMELLOSE USP, TITANIUM DIOXIDE USP TALC USP, POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL NF, FERRIC OXIDE PIGMENT, RED NF, FERRIC OXIDE PIGMENT, YELLOW NF.
DROSPIRENONE (6R,7R,8R,9S,10R,13S,14S,15S,16S,17S)-1,3',4',6,6A,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,15A,16-HEXADECAHYDRO-10,13-DIMETHYLSPIRO-[17H-DICYCLOPROPA- [6,7:15,16] CYCLOPENTA[A]PHENANTHRENE-17,2'(5H)-FURAN]-3,5'(2H)-DIONE) IS A SYNTHETIC PROGESTATIONAL COMPOUND AND HAS A MOLECULAR WEIGHT OF 366.5 AND A MOLECULAR FORMULA OF C24H30O3.
ETHINYL ESTRADIOL (19-NOR-17?-PREGNA 1,3,5(10)-TRIENE-20-YNE-3, 17-DIOL) IS A SYNTHETIC ESTROGENIC COMPOUND AND HAS A MOLECULAR WEIGHT OF 296.4 AND A MOLECULAR FORMULA OF C20H24O2.
LEVOMEFOLATE CALCIUM (N-[4-[[(2-AMINO-1,4,5,6,7,8-HEXAHYDRO-5-METHYL-4-OXO-(6S)-PTERIDINYL)METHYL]AMINO]BENZOYL]-L-GLUTAMIC ACID, CALCIUM SALT) IS A SYNTHETIC CALCIUM SALT OF L-5-METHYLTETRAHYDROFOLATE (L-5-METHYL-THF), WHICH IS A METABOLITE OF VITAMIN B9 AND HAS A MOLECULAR WEIGHT OF 497.5 AND A MOLECULAR FORMULA OF C20H23CAN7O6.
THE STRUCTURAL FORMULAS ARE AS FOLLOWS:
DROSPIRENONE
ETHINYL ESTRADIOL
LEVOMEFOLATE CALCIUM
INDICATIONS
ORAL CONTRACEPTIVE
BEYAZ™ IS INDICATED FOR USE BY WOMEN TO PREVENT PREGNANCY.
PREMENSTRUAL DYSPHORIC DISORDER (PMDD)
BEYAZ IS ALSO INDICATED FOR THE TREATMENT OF SYMPTOMS OF PREMENSTRUAL DYSPHORIC DISORDER (PMDD) IN WOMEN WHO CHOOSE TO USE AN ORAL CONTRACEPTIVE AS THEIR METHOD OF CONTRACEPTION. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF BEYAZ FOR PMDD WHEN USED FOR MORE THAN THREE MENSTRUAL CYCLES HAS NOT BEEN EVALUATED.
THE ESSENTIAL FEATURES OF PMDD ACCORDING TO THE DIAGNOSTIC AND STATISTICAL MANUAL-4TH EDITION (DSM-IV) INCLUDE MARKEDLY DEPRESSED MOOD, ANXIETY OR TENSION, AFFECTIVE LABILITY, AND PERSISTENT ANGER OR IRRITABILITY. OTHER FEATURES INCLUDE DECREASED INTEREST IN USUAL ACTIVITIES, DIFFICULTY CONCENTRATING, LACK OF ENERGY, CHANGE IN APPETITE OR SLEEP, AND FEELING OUT OF CONTROL. PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS ASSOCIATED WITH PMDD INCLUDE BREAST TENDERNESS, HEADACHE, JOINT AND MUSCLE PAIN, BLOATING AND WEIGHT GAIN. IN THIS DISORDER, THESE SYMPTOMS OCCUR REGULARLY DURING THE LUTEAL PHASE AND REMIT WITHIN A FEW DAYS FOLLOWING ONSET OF MENSES; THE DISTURBANCE MARKEDLY INTERFERES WITH WORK OR SCHOOL, OR WITH USUAL SOCIAL ACTIVITIES AND RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS. DIAGNOSIS IS MADE BY HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS ACCORDING TO DSM-IV CRITERIA, WITH SYMPTOMATOLOGY ASSESSED PROSPECTIVELY OVER AT LEAST TWO MENSTRUAL CYCLES. IN MAKING THE DIAGNOSIS, CARE SHOULD BE TAKEN TO RULE OUT OTHER CYCLICAL MOOD DISORDERS.
BEYAZ HAS NOT BEEN EVALUATED FOR THE TREATMENT OF PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME (PMS).
ACNE
BEYAZ IS INDICATED FOR THE TREATMENT OF MODERATE ACNE VULGARIS IN WOMEN AT LEAST 14 YEARS OF AGE, WHO HAVE NO KNOWN CONTRAINDICATIONS TO ORAL CONTRACEPTIVE THERAPY AND HAVE ACHIEVED MENARCHE. BEYAZ SHOULD BE USED FOR THE TREATMENT OF ACNE ONLY IF THE PATIENT DESIRES AN ORAL CONTRACEPTIVE FOR BIRTH CONTROL.
FOLATE SUPPLEMENTATION
BEYAZ IS INDICATED IN WOMEN WHO CHOOSE TO USE AN ORAL CONTRACEPTIVE AS THEIR METHOD OF CONTRACEPTION, TO RAISE FOLATE LEVELS FOR THE PURPOSE OF REDUCING THE RISK OF A NEURAL TUBE DEFECT IN A PREGNANCY CONCEIVED WHILE TAKING THE PRODUCT OR SHORTLY AFTER DISCONTINUING THE PRODUCT.
DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION
HOW TO TAKE BEYAZ
TAKE ONE TABLET BY MOUTH AT THE SAME TIME EVERY DAY. THE FAILURE RATE MAY INCREASE WHEN PILLS ARE MISSED OR TAKEN INCORRECTLY.
TO ACHIEVE MAXIMUM CONTRACEPTIVE AND PMDD EFFECTIVENESS, BEYAZ MUST BE TAKEN AS DIRECTED, IN THE ORDER DIRECTED ON THE BLISTER PACK. SINGLE MISSED PILLS SHOULD BE TAKEN AS SOON AS REMEMBERED.
HOW TO START BEYAZ
INSTRUCT THE PATIENT TO BEGIN TAKING BEYAZ EITHER ON THE FIRST DAY OF HER MENSTRUAL PERIOD (DAY 1 START) OR ON THE FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE ONSET OF HER MENSTRUAL PERIOD (SUNDAY START).
DAY 1 START
DURING THE FIRST CYCLE OF BEYAZ USE, INSTRUCT THE PATIENT TO TAKE ONE PINK BEYAZ DAILY, BEGINNING ON DAY 1 OF HER MENSTRUAL CYCLE. (THE FIRST DAY OF MENSTRUATION IS DAY 1.) SHE SHOULD TAKE ONE PINK BEYAZ DAILY FOR 24 CONSECUTIVE DAYS, FOLLOWED BY ONE LIGHT ORANGE TABLET DAILY ON DAYS 25 THROUGH 28. BEYAZ SHOULD BE TAKEN IN THE ORDER DIRECTED ON THE PACKAGE AT THE SAME TIME EACH DAY, PREFERABLY AFTER THE EVENING MEAL OR AT BEDTIME WITH SOME LIQUID, AS NEEDED. BEYAZ CAN BE TAKEN WITHOUT REGARD TO MEALS. IF BEYAZ IS FIRST TAKEN LATER THAN THE FIRST DAY OF THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE, BEYAZ SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED EFFECTIVE AS A CONTRACEPTIVE UNTIL AFTER THE FIRST 7 CONSECUTIVE DAYS OF PRODUCT ADMINISTRATION. INSTRUCT THE PATIENT TO USE A NON-HORMONAL CONTRACEPTIVE AS BACK-UP DURING THE FIRST 7 DAYS. THE POSSIBILITY OF OVULATION AND CONCEPTION PRIOR TO INITIATION OF MEDICATION SHOULD BE CONSIDERED.
SUNDAY START
DURING THE FIRST CYCLE OF BEYAZ USE, INSTRUCT THE PATIENT TO TAKE ONE PINK BEYAZ DAILY, BEGINNING ON THE FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE ONSET OF HER MENSTRUAL PERIOD. SHE SHOULD TAKE ONE PINK BEYAZ DAILY FOR 24 CONSECUTIVE DAYS, FOLLOWED BY ONE LIGHT ORANGE TABLET DAILY ON DAYS 25 THROUGH 28. BEYAZ SHOULD BE TAKEN IN THE ORDER DIRECTED ON THE PACKAGE AT THE SAME TIME EACH DAY, PREFERABLY AFTER THE EVENING MEAL OR AT BEDTIME WITH SOME LIQUID, AS NEEDED. BEYAZ CAN BE TAKEN WITHOUT REGARD TO MEALS. BEYAZ SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED EFFECTIVE AS A CONTRACEPTIVE UNTIL AFTER THE FIRST 7 CONSECUTIVE DAYS OF PRODUCT ADMINISTRATION. INSTRUCT THE PATIENT TO USE A NON-HORMONAL CONTRACEPTIVE AS BACK-UP DURING THE FIRST 7 DAYS. THE POSSIBILITY OF OVULATION AND CONCEPTION PRIOR TO INITIATION OF MEDICATION SHOULD BE CONSIDERED.
THE PATIENT SHOULD BEGIN HER NEXT AND ALL SUBSEQUENT 28-DAY REGIMENS OF BEYAZ ON THE SAME DAY OF THE WEEK THAT SHE BEGAN HER FIRST REGIMEN, FOLLOWING THE SAME SCHEDULE. SHE SHOULD BEGIN TAKING HER PINK TABLETS ON THE NEXT DAY AFTER INGESTION OF THE LAST LIGHT ORANGE FOLATE TABLET, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT A MENSTRUAL PERIOD HAS OCCURRED OR IS STILL IN PROGRESS. ANYTIME A SUBSEQUENT CYCLE OF BEYAZ IS STARTED LATER THAN THE DAY FOLLOWING ADMINISTRATION OF THE LAST LIGHT ORANGE TABLET, THE PATIENT SHOULD USE ANOTHER METHOD OF CONTRACEPTION UNTIL SHE HAS TAKEN A PINK BEYAZ DAILY FOR SEVEN CONSECUTIVE DAYS.
WHEN SWITCHING FROM A DIFFERENT BIRTH CONTROL PILL
WHEN SWITCHING FROM ANOTHER BIRTH CONTROL PILL, BEYAZ SHOULD BE STARTED ON THE SAME DAY THAT A NEW PACK OF THE PREVIOUS ORAL CONTRACEPTIVE WOULD HAVE BEEN STARTED.
WHEN SWITCHING FROM A METHOD OTHER THAN A BIRTH CONTROL PILL
WHEN SWITCHING FROM A TRANSDERMAL PATCH OR VAGINAL RING, BEYAZ SHOULD BE STARTED WHEN THE NEXT APPLICATION WOULD HAVE BEEN DUE. WHEN SWITCHING FROM AN INJECTION, BEYAZ SHOULD BE STARTED WHEN THE NEXT DOSE WOULD HAVE BEEN DUE. WHEN SWITCHING FROM AN INTRAUTERINE CONTRACEPTIVE OR AN IMPLANT, BEYAZ SHOULD BE STARTED ON THE DAY OF REMOVAL.
WITHDRAWAL BLEEDING USUALLY OCCURS WITHIN 3 DAYS FOLLOWING THE LAST PINK TABLET. IF SPOTTING OR BREAKTHROUGH BLEEDING OCCURS WHILE TAKING BEYAZ, INSTRUCT THE PATIENT TO CONTINUE TAKING BEYAZ BY THE REGIMEN DESCRIBED ABOVE. COUNSEL HER THAT THIS TYPE OF BLEEDING IS USUALLY TRANSIENT AND WITHOUT SIGNIFICANCE; HOWEVER, ADVISE HER THAT IF THE BLEEDING IS PERSISTENT OR PROLONGED, SHE SHOULD CONSULT HER HEALTHCARE PROVIDER.
ALTHOUGH THE OCCURRENCE OF PREGNANCY IS LOW IF BEYAZ IS TAKEN ACCORDING TO DIRECTIONS, IF WITHDRAWAL BLEEDING DOES NOT OCCUR, CONSIDER THE POSSIBILITY OF PREGNANCY. IF THE PATIENT HAS NOT ADHERED TO THE PRESCRIBED DOSING SCHEDULE (MISSED ONE OR MORE ACTIVE TABLETS OR STARTED TAKING THEM ON A DAY LATER THAN SHE SHOULD HAVE), CONSIDER THE POSSIBILITY OF PREGNANCY AT THE TIME OF THE FIRST MISSED PERIOD AND TAKE APPROPRIATE DIAGNOSTIC MEASURES. IF THE PATIENT HAS ADHERED TO THE PRESCRIBED REGIMEN AND MISSES TWO CONSECUTIVE PERIODS, RULE OUT PREGNANCY. DISCONTINUE BEYAZ IF PREGNANCY IS CONFIRMED.
THE RISK OF PREGNANCY INCREASES WITH EACH ACTIVE PINK TABLET MISSED. FOR ADDITIONAL PATIENT INSTRUCTIONS REGARDING MISSED PILLS, SEE THE “WHAT TO DO IF YOU MISS PILLS” SECTION IN THE FDA APPROVED PATIENT LABELING. IF BREAKTHROUGH BLEEDING OCCURS FOLLOWING MISSED TABLETS, IT WILL USUALLY BE TRANSIENT AND OF NO CONSEQUENCE. IF THE PATIENT MISSES ONE OR MORE LIGHT ORANGE TABLETS, SHE SHOULD STILL BE PROTECTED AGAINST PREGNANCY PROVIDED SHE BEGINS TAKING A NEW CYCLE OF PINK TABLETS ON THE PROPER DAY.
FOR POSTPARTUM WOMEN WHO DO NOT BREASTFEED OR AFTER A SECOND TRIMESTER ABORTION, START BEYAZ NO EARLIER THAN 4 WEEKS POSTPARTUM DUE TO THE INCREASED RISK OF THROMBOEMBOLISM. IF THE PATIENT STARTS ON BEYAZ POSTPARTUM AND HAS NOT YET HAD A PERIOD, EVALUATE FOR POSSIBLE PREGNANCY, AND INSTRUCT HER TO USE AN ADDITIONAL METHOD OF CONTRACEPTION UNTIL SHE HAS TAKEN BEYAZ FOR 7 CONSECUTIVE DAYS.
ADVICE IN CASE OF GASTROINTESTINAL DISTURBANCES
IN CASE OF SEVERE VOMITING OR DIARRHEA, ABSORPTION MAY NOT BE COMPLETE AND ADDITIONAL CONTRACEPTIVE MEASURES SHOULD BE TAKEN. IF VOMITING OCCURS WITHIN 3-4 HOURS AFTER TABLET-TAKING, THIS CAN BE REGARDED AS A MISSED TABLET.
FOLATE SUPPLEMENTATION
THE U.S. PREVENTIVE SERVICES TASK FORCE RECOMMENDS THAT WOMEN OF CHILDBEARING AGE CONSUME SUPPLEMENTAL FOLIC ACID IN A DOSE OF AT LEAST 0.4 MG (400 MCG) DAILY.1 CONSIDER OTHER FOLATE SUPPLEMENTATION THAT A WOMAN MAY BE TAKING BEFORE PRESCRIBING BEYAZ. ENSURE THAT FOLATE SUPPLEMENTATION IS MAINTAINED IF A WOMAN DISCONTINUES BEYAZ DUE TO PREGNANCY.
HOW SUPPLIED
DOSAGE FORMS AND STRENGTHS
BEYAZ (DROSPIRENONE/ETHINYL ESTRADIOL/LEVOMEFOLATE CALCIUM TABLETS AND LEVOMEFOLATE CALCIUM TABLETS) IS AVAILABLE IN BLISTER PACKS.
EACH BLISTER PACK (28 FILM-COATED TABLETS) CONTAINS IN THE FOLLOWING ORDER:
24 PINK TABLETS EACH CONTAINING 3 MG DROSPIRENONE (DRSP), 0.02 MG ETHINYL ESTRADIOL (EE) AS BETADEX CLATHRATE AND 0.451 MG LEVOMEFOLATE CALCIUM
4 LIGHT ORANGE TABLETS EACH CONTAINING 0.451 MG LEVOMEFOLATE CALCIUM
STORAGE AND HANDLING
BEYAZ (DROSPIRENONE/ETHINYL ESTRADIOL/LEVOMEFOLATE CALCIUM TABLETS AND LEVOMEFOLATE CALCIUM TABLETS) ARE AVAILABLE IN PACKAGES OF THREE BLISTER PACKS (NDC 50419-407-03).
THE FILM-COATED TABLETS ARE ROUNDED WITH BICONVEX FACES, ONE SIDE IS EMBOSSED WITH A REGULAR HEXAGON SHAPE WITH Z+ OR M+.
EACH BLISTER PACK (28 FILM-COATED TABLETS) CONTAINS IN THE FOLLOWING ORDER:
24 ROUND, BICONVEX, PINK, FILM-COATED TABLETS WITH EMBOSSED “Z +” IN A REGULAR HEXAGON ON ONE SIDE EACH CONTAINING 3 MG DROSPIRENONE, 0.02 MG ETHINYL ESTRADIOL, AND 0.451 MG LEVOMEFOLATE CALCIUM
4 ROUND, BICONVEX, LIGHT ORANGE, FILM-COATED TABLETS WITH EMBOSSED “M+” IN A REGULAR HEXAGON ON ONE SIDE EACH CONTAINING 0.451 MG LEVOMEFOLATE CALCIUM
STORAGE
STORE AT 25°C (77°F); EXCURSIONS PERMITTED TO 15-30°C (59-86°F) [SEE USP CONTROLLED ROOM TEMPERATURE].
SIDE EFFECTS
THE FOLLOWING SERIOUS ADVERSE REACTIONS WITH THE USE OF COCS ARE DISCUSSED ELSEWHERE IN THE LABELING:
SERIOUS CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS AND STROKE [SEE BOXED WARNING AND WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS]
VASCULAR EVENTS [SEE WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS]
LIVER DISEASE [SEE WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS]
ADVERSE REACTIONS COMMONLY REPORTED BY COC USERS ARE:
IRREGULAR UTERINE BLEEDING
NAUSEA
BREAST TENDERNESS
HEADACHE
CLINICAL TRIALS EXPERIENCE
BECAUSE CLINICAL TRIALS ARE CONDUCTED UNDER WIDELY VARYING CONDITIONS, THE ADVERSE REACTION RATES OBSERVED CANNOT BE DIRECTLY COMPARED TO RATES IN OTHER CLINICAL TRIALS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE RATES OBSERVED IN PRACTICE.
CONTRACEPTION, ACNE AND FOLATE SUPPLEMENTATION CLINICAL TRIALS
THE DATA PROVIDED REFLECT THE EXPERIENCE WITH THE USE OF YAZ (3 MG DRSP/0.02 MG EE), IN THE ADEQUATE AND WELL-CONTROLLED STUDIES FOR CONTRACEPTION (N=1,056), FOR MODERATE ACNE VULGARIS (N=536) AND FOLATE SUPPLEMENTATION (N=379).
FOR CONTRACEPTION, A PHASE 3, MULTICENTER, MULTINATIONAL, OPEN-LABEL STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO EVALUATE SAFETY AND EFFICACY UP TO ONE YEAR IN 1,027 WOMEN AGED 17-36 WHO TOOK AT LEAST ONE DOSE OF YAZ. A SECOND PHASE 3 STUDY WAS A SINGLE CENTER, OPEN-LABEL, ACTIVE-CONTROLLED STUDY TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF 7 28-DAY CYCLES OF YAZ ON CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM, LIPIDS AND HEMOSTASIS IN 29 WOMEN AGED 18-35. FOR ACNE, TWO MULTICENTER, DOUBLE-BLIND, RANDOMIZED, PLACEBO-CONTROLLED STUDIES, IN 536 WOMEN AGED 14–45 WITH MODERATE ACNE VULGARIS WHO TOOK AT LEAST ONE DOSE OF YAZ, EVALUATED THE SAFETY AND EFFICACY DURING UP TO 6 CYCLES. FOR FOLATE SUPPLEMENTATION, THE PRIMARY EFFICACY STUDY USING BEYAZ WAS A MULTICENTER, DOUBLE-BLIND, RANDOMIZED, ACTIVE-CONTROLLED US TRIAL IN 379 HEALTHY WOMEN AGED 18- 40 WHO WERE TREATED WITH BEYAZ OR YAZ FOR UP TO 24 WEEKS.
THE ADVERSE REACTIONS SEEN ACROSS THE 3 INDICATIONS OVERLAPPED, AND ARE REPORTED USING THE FREQUENCIES FROM THE POOLED DATASET. THE MOST COMMON ADVERSE REACTIONS ( = 2% OF USERS) WERE: HEADACHE/MIGRAINE (5.9%), MENSTRUAL IRREGULARITIES (INCLUDING VAGINAL HEMORRHAGE [PRIMARILY SPOTTING], METRORRHAGIA AND MENORRHAGIA) (4.1%), NAUSEA/VOMITING (3.5%), AND BREAST PAIN/TENDERNESS (3.2%).
PMDD CLINICAL TRIALS
SAFETY DATA FROM TRIALS FOR THE INDICATION OF PMDD ARE REPORTED SEPARATELY DUE TO DIFFERENCES IN STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING IN THE OC, ACNE AND FOLATE SUPPLEMENTATION STUDIES AS COMPARED TO THE PMDD CLINICAL PROGRAM.
TWO (ONE PARALLEL AND ONE CROSSOVER DESIGNED) MULTICENTER, DOUBLE-BLIND, RANDOMIZED, PLACEBO-CONTROLLED TRIALS FOR THE SECONDARY INDICATION OF TREATING THE SYMPTOMS OF PMDD EVALUATED SAFETY AND EFFICACY OF YAZ DURING UP TO 3 CYCLES AMONG 285 WOMEN AGED 18–42, DIAGNOSED WITH PMDD AND WHO TOOK AT LEAST ONE DOSE OF YAZ.
COMMON ADVERSE REACTIONS ( = 2% OF USERS) WERE: MENSTRUAL IRREGULARITIES (INCLUDING VAGINAL HEMORRHAGE [PRIMARILY SPOTTING] AND METRORRHAGIA) (24.9%), NAUSEA (15.8%), HEADACHE (13.0%), BREAST TENDERNESS (10.5%), FATIGUE (4.2%), IRRITABILITY (2.8%), DECREASED LIBIDO (2.8%), INCREASED WEIGHT (2.5%), AND AFFECT LABILITY (2.1%).
ADVERSE REACTIONS ( =1%) LEADING TO STUDY DISCONTINUATION:
CONTRACEPTION CLINICAL TRIALS
OF 1,056 WOMEN, 6.6% DISCONTINUED FROM THE CLINICAL TRIALS DUE TO AN ADVERSE REACTION; THE MOST FREQUENT ADVERSE REACTIONS LEADING TO DISCONTINUATION WERE HEADACHE/MIGRAINE (1.6%) AND NAUSEA/VOMITING (1.0%).
ACNE CLINICAL TRIALS
OF 536 WOMEN, 5.4% DISCONTINUED FROM THE CLINICAL TRIALS DUE TO AN ADVERSE REACTION; THE MOST FREQUENT ADVERSE REACTION LEADING TO DISCONTINUATION WAS MENSTRUAL IRREGULARITIES (INCLUDING MENOMETRORRHAGIA, MENORRHAGIA, METRORRHAGIA AND VAGINAL HEMORRHAGE) (2.2%) .
FOLATE CLINICAL TRIAL
OF 285 WOMEN, 4.6% WHO USED BEYAZ OR YAZ DISCONTINUED FROM THE CLINICAL TRIALS DUE TO AN ADVERSE REACTION; NO REACTION LEADING TO DISCONTINUATION OCCURRED IN = 1% OF WOMEN.
PMDD CLINICAL TRIALS
OF 285 WOMEN, 11.6% DISCONTINUED FROM THE CLINICAL TRIALS DUE TO AN ADVERSE REACTION; THE MOST FREQUENT ADVERSE REACTIONS LEADING TO DISCONTINUATION WERE: NAUSEA/VOMITING (4.6%), MENSTRUAL IRREGULARITY (INCLUDING VAGINAL HEMORRHAGE, MENORRHAGIA, MENSTRUAL DISORDER, MENSTRUATION IRREGULAR AND METRORRHAGIA) (4.2%), FATIGUE (1.8%), BREAST TENDERNESS (1.4%), DEPRESSION (1.4%), HEADACHE (1.1%), AND IRRITABILITY (1.1%).
SERIOUS ADVERSE REACTIONS
CONTRACEPTION CLINICAL TRIALS: MIGRAINE AND CERVICAL DYSPLASIA
ACNE CLINICAL TRIALS: NONE REPORTED IN THE CLINICAL TRIALS
FOLATE SUPPLEMENTATION CLINICAL TRIAL: CERVIX CARCINOMA STAGE 0
PMDD CLINICAL TRIALS: CERVICAL DYSPLASIA
POSTMARKETING EXPERIENCE
THE FOLLOWING ADVERSE REACTIONS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED DURING POST APPROVAL USE OF YAZ. BECAUSE THESE REACTIONS ARE REPORTED VOLUNTARILY FROM A POPULATION OF UNCERTAIN SIZE, IT IS NOT ALWAYS POSSIBLE TO RELIABLY ESTIMATE THEIR FREQUENCY OR ESTABLISH A CAUSAL RELATIONSHIP TO DRUG EXPOSURE.
ADVERSE REACTIONS ARE GROUPED INTO SYSTEM ORGAN CLASSES, AND ORDERED BY FREQUENCY.
VASCULAR DISORDERS: VENOUS AND ARTERIAL THROMBOEMBOLIC EVENTS (INCLUDING PULMONARY EMBOLI, DEEP VEIN THROMBOSIS, CEREBRAL THROMBOSIS, RETINAL THROMBOSIS, MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION AND STROKE), HYPERTENSION (INCLUDING HYPERTENSIVE CRISIS)
HEPATOBILIARY DISORDERS: GALLBLADDER DISEASE, LIVER FUNCTION DISTURBANCES, LIVER TUMORS
IMMUNE SYSTEM DISORDERS: HYPERSENSITIVITY (INCLUDING ANAPHYLACTIC REACTION)
METABOLISM AND NUTRITION DISORDERS: HYPERKALEMIA, HYPERTRIGLYCERIDEMIA, CHANGES IN GLUCOSE TOLERANCE OR EFFECT ON PERIPHERAL INSULIN RESISTANCE (INCLUDING DIABETES MELLITUS)
SKIN AND SUBCUTANEOUS TISSUE DISORDERS: CHLOASMA, ANGIOEDEMA, ERYTHEMA NODOSUM, ERYTHEMA MULTIFORME
GASTROINTESTINAL DISORDERS: INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE
MUSCULOSKELETAL AND CONNECTIVE TISSUE DISORDERS: SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS
READ THE BEYAZ (DROSPIRENONE/ETHINYL ESTRADIOL/ LEVOMEFOLATE CALCIUM TABLETS AND LEVOMEFOLATE CALCUIM TABLETS) SIDE EFFECTS CENTER FOR A COMPLETE GUIDE TO POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS »
DRUG INTERACTIONS
CONSULT THE LABELING OF ALL CONCURRENTLY-USED DRUGS TO OBTAIN FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT INTERACTIONS WITH HORMONAL CONTRACEPTIVES OR THE POTENTIAL FOR ENZYME ALTERATIONS.
EFFECTS OF OTHER DRUGS ON COMBINED ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES
SUBSTANCES DIMINISHING THE EFFICACY OF COCS
DRUGS OR HERBAL PRODUCTS THAT INDUCE CERTAIN ENZYMES, INCLUDING CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4), MAY DECREASE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF COCS OR INCREASE BREAKTHROUGH BLEEDING. SOME DRUGS OR HERBAL PRODUCTS THAT MAY DECREASE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF HORMONAL CONTRACEPTIVES INCLUDE PHENYTOIN, BARBITURATES, CARBAMAZEPINE, BOSENTAN, FELBAMATE, GRISEOFULVIN, OXCARBAZEPINE, RIFAMPICIN, TOPIRAMATE AND PRODUCTS CONTAINING ST. JOHN'S WORT. INTERACTIONS BETWEEN ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES AND OTHER DRUGS MAY LEAD TO BREAKTHROUGH BLEEDING AND/OR CONTRACEPTIVE FAILURE. COUNSEL WOMEN TO USE AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD OF CONTRACEPTION OR A BACK-UP METHOD WHEN ENZYME INDUCERS ARE USED WITH COCS, AND TO CONTINUE BACK-UP CONTRACEPTION FOR 28 DAYS AFTER DISCONTINUING THE ENZYME INDUCER TO ENSURE CONTRACEPTIVE RELIABILITY.
SUBSTANCES INCREASING THE PLASMA CONCENTRATIONS OF COCS
CO-ADMINISTRATION OF ATORVASTATIN AND CERTAIN COCS CONTAINING EE INCREASE AUC VALUES FOR EE BY APPROXIMATELY 20%. ASCORBIC ACID AND ACETAMINOPHEN MAY INCREASE PLASMA EE CONCENTRATIONS, POSSIBLY BY INHIBITION OF CONJUGATION. CYP3A4 INHIBITORS SUCH AS ITRACONAZOLE OR KETOCONAZOLE MAY INCREASE PLASMA HORMONE CONCENTRATIONS.
HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS (HIV)/ HEPATITIS C VIRUS (HCV) PROTEASE INHIBITORS AND NON-NUCLEOSIDE REVERSE TRANSCRIPTASE INHIBITORS
SIGNIFICANT CHANGES (INCREASE OR DECREASE) IN THE PLASMA CONCENTRATIONS OF ESTROGEN AND PROGESTIN HAVE BEEN NOTED IN SOME CASES OF CO-ADMINISTRATION WITH HIV/HCV PROTEASE INHIBITORS OR WITH NON-NUCLEOSIDE REVERSE TRANSCRIPTASE INHIBITORS.
ANTIBIOTICS
THERE HAVE BEEN REPORTS OF PREGNANCY WHILE TAKING HORMONAL CONTRACEPTIVES AND ANTIBIOTICS, BUT CLINICAL PHARMACOKINETIC STUDIES HAVE NOT SHOWN CONSISTENT EFFECTS OF ANTIBIOTICS ON PLASMA CONCENTRATIONS OF SYNTHETIC STEROIDS.
EFFECT ON DRSP
THE MAIN METABOLITES OF DRSP IN HUMAN PLASMA ARE GENERATED WITHOUT INVOLVEMENT OF THE CYP SYSTEM. INHIBITORS OF THIS ENZYME SYSTEM ARE THEREFORE UNLIKELY TO INFLUENCE THE METABOLISM OF DRSP.
EFFECTS OF COMBINED ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES ON OTHER DRUGS
COCS CONTAINING EE MAY INHIBIT THE METABOLISM OF OTHER COMPOUNDS. COCS HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASE PLASMA CONCENTRATIONS OF LAMOTRIGINE, LIKELY DUE TO INDUCTION OF LAMOTRIGINE GLUCURONIDATION. THIS MAY REDUCE SEIZURE CONTROL; THEREFORE, DOSAGE ADJUSTMENTS OF LAMOTRIGINE MAY BE NECESSARY. CONSULT THE LABELING OF THE CONCURRENTLY-USED DRUG TO OBTAIN FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT INTERACTIONS WITH COCS OR THE POTENTIAL FOR ENZYME ALTERATIONS.
IN VITRO AND CLINICAL STUDIES DID NOT INDICATE AN INHIBITORY POTENTIAL OF DRSP TOWARDS HUMAN CYP ENZYMES AT CLINICALLY RELEVANT CONCENTRATIONS [SEE CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY].
WOMEN ON THYROID HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY MAY NEED INCREASED DOSES OF THYROID HORMONE BECAUSE SERUM CONCENTRATION OF THYROID-BINDING GLOBULIN INCREASES WITH USE OF COCS.
POTENTIAL TO INCREASE SERUM POTASSIUM CONCENTRATION: THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR AN INCREASE IN SERUM POTASSIUM CONCENTRATION IN WOMEN TAKING BEYAZ WITH OTHER DRUGS THAT MAY INCREASE SERUM POTASSIUM CONCENTRATION [SEE WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS AND CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY].
EFFECTS OF FOLATES ON OTHER DRUGS
FOLATES MAY MODIFY THE PHARMACOKINETICS OR PHARMACODYNAMICS OF CERTAIN ANTIFOLATE DRUGS, E.G., ANTIEPILEPTICS (SUCH AS PHENYTOIN), METHOTREXATE OR PYRIMETHAMINE, AND MAY RESULT IN A DECREASED PHARMACOLOGICAL EFFECT OF THE ANTIFOLATE DRUG.
EFFECTS OF OTHER DRUGS ON FOLATES
SEVERAL DRUGS HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO REDUCE FOLATE CONCENTRATIONS BY INHIBITION OF THE DIHYDROFOLATE REDUCTASE ENZYME (E.G., METHOTREXATE AND SULFASALAZINE) OR BY REDUCING FOLATE ABSORPTION (E.G., CHOLESTYRAMINE), OR VIA UNKNOWN MECHANISMS (E.G., ANTIEPILEPTICS SUCH AS CARBAMAZEPINE, PHENYTOIN, PHENOBARBITAL, PRIMIDONE AND VALPROIC ACID).
INTERFERENCE WITH LABORATORY TESTS
THE USE OF CONTRACEPTIVE STEROIDS MAY INFLUENCE THE RESULTS OF CERTAIN LABORATORY TESTS, SUCH AS COAGULATION FACTORS, LIPIDS, GLUCOSE TOLERANCE, AND BINDING PROTEINS. DRSP CAUSES AN INCREASE IN PLASMA RENIN ACTIVITY AND PLASMA ALDOSTERONE INDUCED BY ITS MILD ANTIMINERALOCORTICOID ACTIVITY. FOLATES MAY MASK VITAMIN B12 DEFICIENCY. [SEE WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS.]
PRECAUTIONS
THROMBOEMBOLIC DISORDERS AND OTHER VASCULAR PROBLEMS
STOP BEYAZ IF AN ARTERIAL OR VENOUS THROMBOTIC (VTE) EVENT OCCURS.
BASED ON PRESENTLY AVAILABLE INFORMATION ON DRSP-CONTAINING COCS WITH 0.03 MG ETHINYL ESTRADIOL (THAT IS, YASMIN), DRSP-CONTAINING COCS MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH A HIGHER RISK OF VENOUS THROMBOEMBOLISM (VTE) THAN COCS CONTAINING THE PROGESTIN LEVONORGESTREL OR SOME OTHER PROGESTINS. EPIDEMIOLOGIC STUDIES THAT COMPARED THE RISK OF VTE REPORTED THAT THE RISK RANGED FROM NO INCREASE TO A THREE-FOLD INCREASE. BEFORE INITIATING USE OF BEYAZ IN A NEW COC USER OR A WOMAN WHO IS SWITCHING FROM A CONTRACEPTIVE THAT DOES NOT CONTAIN DRSP, CONSIDER THE RISKS AND BENEFITS OF A DRSP-CONTAINING COC IN LIGHT OF HER RISK OF A VTE. KNOWN RISK FACTORS FOR VTE INCLUDE SMOKING, OBESITY, AND FAMILY HISTORY OF VTE, IN ADDITION TO OTHER FACTORS THAT CONTRAINDICATE USE OF COCS [SEE CONTRAINDICATIONS].
A NUMBER OF STUDIES HAVE COMPARED THE RISK OF VTE FOR USERS OF YASMIN (WHICH CONTAINS 0.03 MG OF EE AND 3 MG OF DRSP) TO THE RISK FOR USERS OF OTHER COCS, INCLUDING COCS CONTAINING LEVONORGESTREL. THOSE THAT WERE REQUIRED OR SPONSORED BY REGULATORY AGENCIES ARE SUMMARIZED IN TABLE 1.
TABLE 1: ESTIMATES (HAZARD RATIOS) OF VENOUS THROMBOEMBOLISM RISK IN CURRENT USERS OF YASMIN COMPARED TO USERS OF ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES THAT CONTAIN OTHER PROGESTINS
EPIDEMIOLOGIC STUDY (AUTHOR, YEAR OF PUBLICATION) POPULATION STUDIED
COMPARATOR PRODUCT (ALL ARE LOW-DOSE COCS; WITH = 0.04 MG OF EE)
HAZARD RATIO (HR) (95% CI)
I3 INGENIX (SEEGER 2007) INITIATORS, INCLUDING NEW USERSA
ALL COCS AVAILABLE IN THE US DURING THE CONDUCT OF THE STUDY B
HR: 0.9
(0.5-1.6)
EURAS (DINGER 2007) INITIATORS, INCLUDING NEW USERSA
ALL COCS AVAILABLE IN EUROPE DURING THE CONDUCT OF THE STUDYC
HR: 0.9
(0.6-1.4)
LEVONORGESTREL/EE
HR: 1.0
(0.6-1.8)
“FDA-FUNDED STUDY” (2011)
NEW USERSA
OTHER COCS AVAILABLE DURING THE COURSE OF THE STUDYD
HR: 1.8
(1.3-2.4)
LEVONORGESTREL/0.03 MG EE
HR: 1.6
(1.1-2.2)
ALL USERS (I.E., INITIATION AND CONTINUING USE OF STUDY COMBINATION HORMONAL CONTRACEPTION)
OTHER COCS AVAILABLE DURING THE COURSE OF THE STUDYD
HR: 1.7
(1.4-2.1)
LEVONORGESTREL/0.03 MG EE
HR: 1.5
(1.2-1.8)
IN ADDITION TO THESE “REGULATORY STUDIES,” OTHER STUDIES OF VARIOUS DESIGNS HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED. OVERALL, THERE ARE TWO PROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDIES (SEE TABLE 1): THE US POST-APPROVAL SAFETY STUDY INGENIX [SEEGER 2007], THE EUROPEAN POST-APPROVAL SAFETY STUDY EURAS (EUROPEAN ACTIVE SURVEILLANCE STUDY) [DINGER 2007]. AN EXTENSION OF THE EURAS STUDY, THE LONG-TERM ACTIVE SURVEILLANCE STUDY (LASS), DID NOT ENROLL ADDITIONAL SUBJECTS, BUT CONTINUED TO ASSESS VTE RISK. THERE ARE THREE RETROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDIES: ONE STUDY IN THE US FUNDED BY THE FDA (SEE TABLE 1), AND TWO FROM DENMARK [LIDEGAARD 2009, LIDEGAARD 2011]. THERE ARE TWO CASE-CONTROL STUDIES: THE DUTCH MEGA STUDY ANALYSIS [VAN HYLCKAMA VLIEG 2009] AND THE GERMAN CASE-CONTROL STUDY [DINGER 2010]. THERE ARE TWO NESTED CASE-CONTROL STUDIES THAT EVALUATED THE RISK OF NON-FATAL IDIOPATHIC VTE: THE PHARMETRICS STUDY [JICK 2011] AND THE GPRD STUDY [PARKIN 2011]. THE RESULTS OF ALL OF THESE STUDIES ARE PRESENTED IN FIGURE 1.
FIGURE 1: VTE RISK WITH YASMIN RELATIVE TO LNG-CONTAINING COCS (ADJUSTED RISK#)
RISK RATIOS DISPLAYED ON LOGARITHMIC SCALE; RISK RATIO < 1 INDICATES A LOWER RISK OF VTE FOR DRSP, > 1 INDICATES AN INCREASED RISK OF VTE FOR DRSP.
*COMPARATOR “OTHER COCS”, INCLUDING LNG- CONTAINING COCS
† LASS IS AN EXTENSION OF THE EURAS STUDY
#SOME ADJUSTMENT FACTORS ARE INDICATED BY SUPERSCRIPT LETTERS: A) CURRENT HEAVY SMOKING, B) HYPERTENSION, C) OBESITY, D) FAMILY HISTORY, E) AGE, F) BMI, G) DURATION OF USE, H) VTE HISTORY, I) PERIOD OF INCLUSION, J) CALENDAR YEAR, K) EDUCATION, L) LENGTH OF USE, M) PARITY, N) CHRONIC DISEASE, O) CONCOMITANT MEDICATION, P) SMOKING, Q) DURATION OF EXPOSURE, R) SITE
(REFERENCES: INGENIX [SEEGER 2007]2, EURAS (EUROPEAN ACTIVE SURVEILLANCE STUDY) [DINGER 2007]3, LASS (LONG-TERM ACTIVE SURVEILLANCE STUDY) [DINGER, UNPUBLISHED DOCUMENT ON FILE], FDA-FUNDED STUDY [SIDNEY 2011]4, DANISH [LIDEGAARD 2009]5, DANISH RE-ANALYSIS [ LIDEGAARD 2011]6, MEGA STUDY [VAN HYLCKAMA VLIEG 2009]7, GERMAN CASE-CONTROL STUDY [DINGER 2010]8, PHARMETRICS [JICK 2011]9, GPRD STUDY [PARKIN 2011]10)
ALTHOUGH THE ABSOLUTE VTE RATES ARE INCREASED FOR USERS OF HORMONAL CONTRACEPTIVES COMPARED TO NON-USERS, THE RATES DURING PREGNANCY ARE EVEN GREATER, ESPECIALLY DURING THE POST-PARTUM PERIOD (SEE FIGURE 2). THE RISK OF VTE IN WOMEN USING COCS HAS BEEN ESTIMATED TO BE 3 TO 9 PER 10,000 WOMAN-YEARS. THE RISK OF VTE IS HIGHEST DURING THE FIRST YEAR OF USE. DATA FROM A LARGE, PROSPECTIVE COHORT SAFETY STUDY OF VARIOUS COCS SUGGEST THAT THIS INCREASED RISK, AS COMPARED TO THAT IN NON-COC USERS, IS GREATEST DURING THE FIRST 6 MONTHS OF COC USE. DATA FROM THIS SAFETY STUDY INDICATE THAT THE GREATEST RISK OF VTE IS PRESENT AFTER INITIALLY STARTING A COC OR RESTARTING (FOLLOWING A 4 WEEK OR GREATER PILL-FREE INTERVAL) THE SAME OR A DIFFERENT COC.
THE RISK OF THROMBOEMBOLIC DISEASE DUE TO ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES GRADUALLY DISAPPEARS AFTER COC USE IS DISCONTINUED.
FIGURE 2 SHOWS THE RISK OF DEVELOPING A VTE FOR WOMEN WHO ARE NOT PREGNANT AND DO NOT USE ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES, FOR WOMEN WHO USE ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES, FOR PREGNANT WOMEN, AND FOR WOMEN IN THE POSTPARTUM PERIOD. TO PUT THE RISK OF DEVELOPING A VTE INTO PERSPECTIVE: IF 10,000 WOMEN WHO ARE NOT PREGNANT AND DO NOT USE ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES ARE FOLLOWED FOR ONE YEAR, BETWEEN 1 AND 5 OF THESE WOMEN WILL DEVELOP A VTE.
FIGURE 2: LIKELIHOOD OF DEVELOPING A VTE
IF FEASIBLE, STOP BEYAZ AT LEAST 4 WEEKS BEFORE AND THROUGH 2 WEEKS AFTER MAJOR SURGERY OR OTHER SURGERIES KNOWN TO HAVE AN ELEVATED RISK OF THROMBOEMBOLISM.
START BEYAZ NO EARLIER THAN 4 WEEKS AFTER DELIVERY, IN WOMEN WHO ARE NOT BREASTFEEDING. THE RISK OF POSTPARTUM THROMBOEMBOLISM DECREASES AFTER THE THIRD POSTPARTUM WEEK, WHEREAS THE RISK OF OVULATION INCREASES AFTER THE THIRD POSTPARTUM WEEK.
USE OF COCS ALSO INCREASES THE RISK OF ARTERIAL THROMBOSES SUCH AS STROKES AND MYOCARDIAL INFARCTIONS, ESPECIALLY IN WOMEN WITH OTHER RISK FACTORS FOR THESE EVENTS.
COCS HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO INCREASE BOTH THE RELATIVE AND ATTRIBUTABLE RISKS OF CEREBROVASCULAR EVENTS (THROMBOTIC AND HEMORRHAGIC STROKES), ALTHOUGH, IN GENERAL, THE RISK IS GREATEST AMONG OLDER (>35 YEARS OF AGE), HYPERTENSIVE WOMEN WHO ALSO SMOKE. COCS ALSO INCREASE THE RISK FOR STROKE IN WOMEN WITH OTHER UNDERLYING RISK FACTORS.
ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES MUST BE USED WITH CAUTION IN WOMEN WITH CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE RISK FACTORS.
STOP BEYAZ IF THERE IS UNEXPLAINED LOSS OF VISION, PROPTOSIS, DIPLOPIA, PAPILLEDEMA, OR RETINAL VASCULAR LESIONS. EVALUATE FOR RETINAL VEIN THROMBOSIS IMMEDIATELY. [SEE ADVERSE REACTIONS.]
HYPERKALEMIA
BEYAZ CONTAINS 3 MG OF THE PROGESTIN DRSP, WHICH HAS ANTIMINERALOCORTICOID ACTIVITY, INCLUDING THE POTENTIAL FOR HYPERKALEMIA IN HIGH-RISK PATIENTS, COMPARABLE TO A 25 MG DOSE OF SPIRONOLACTONE. BEYAZ SHOULD NOT BE USED IN PATIENTS WITH CONDITIONS THAT PREDISPOSE TO HYPERKALEMIA (THAT IS, RENAL IMPAIRMENT, HEPATIC IMPAIRMENT, AND ADRENAL INSUFFICIENCY). WOMEN RECEIVING DAILY, LONG-TERM TREATMENT FOR CHRONIC CONDITIONS OR DISEASES WITH MEDICATIONS THAT MAY INCREASE SERUM POTASSIUM CONCENTRATION SHOULD HAVE THEIR SERUM POTASSIUM CONCENTRATION CHECKED DURING THE FIRST TREATMENT CYCLE. MEDICATIONS THAT MAY INCREASE SERUM POTASSIUM CONCENTRATION INCLUDE ACE INHIBITORS, ANGIOTENSIN-II RECEPTOR ANTAGONISTS, POTASSIUM-SPARING DIURETICS, POTASSIUM SUPPLEMENTATION, HEPARIN, ALDOSTERONE ANTAGONISTS, AND NSAIDS.
CARCINOMA OF THE BREASTS AND REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS
WOMEN WHO CURRENTLY HAVE OR HAVE HAD BREAST CANCER SHOULD NOT USE BEYAZ BECAUSE BREAST CANCER IS A HORMONALLY-SENSITIVE TUMOR.
THERE IS SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE THAT COCS DO NOT INCREASE THE INCIDENCE OF BREAST CANCER. ALTHOUGH SOME PAST STUDIES HAVE SUGGESTED THAT COCS MIGHT INCREASE THE INCIDENCE OF BREAST CANCER, MORE RECENT STUDIES HAVE NOT CONFIRMED SUCH FINDINGS.
SOME STUDIES SUGGEST THAT COCS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH AN INCREASE IN THE RISK OF CERVICAL CANCER OR INTRAEPITHELIAL NEOPLASIA. HOWEVER, THERE IS CONTROVERSY ABOUT THE EXTENT TO WHICH THESE FINDINGS MAY BE DUE TO DIFFERENCES IN SEXUAL BEHAVIOR AND OTHER FACTORS.
LIVER DISEASE
DISCONTINUE BEYAZ IF JAUNDICE DEVELOPS. STEROID HORMONES MAY BE POORLY METABOLIZED IN PATIENTS WITH IMPAIRED LIVER FUNCTION. ACUTE OR CHRONIC DISTURBANCES OF LIVER FUNCTION MAY NECESSITATE THE DISCONTINUATION OF COC USE UNTIL MARKERS OF LIVER FUNCTION RETURN TO NORMAL AND COC CAUSATION HAS BEEN EXCLUDED.
HEPATIC ADENOMAS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH COC USE. AN ESTIMATE OF THE ATTRIBUTABLE RISK IS 3.3 CASES/100,000 COC USERS. RUPTURE OF HEPATIC ADENOMAS MAY CAUSE DEATH THROUGH INTRA-ABDOMINAL HEMORRHAGE.
STUDIES HAVE SHOWN AN INCREASED RISK OF DEVELOPING HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA IN LONG-TERM (> 8 YEARS) COC USERS. HOWEVER, THE ATTRIBUTABLE RISK OF LIVER CANCERS IN COC USERS IS LESS THAN ONE CASE PER MILLION USERS.
ORAL CONTRACEPTIVE-RELATED CHOLESTASIS MAY OCCUR IN WOMEN WITH A HISTORY OF PREGNANCY-RELATED CHOLESTASIS. WOMEN WITH A HISTORY OF COC-RELATED CHOLESTASIS MAY HAVE THE CONDITION RECUR WITH SUBSEQUENT COC USE.
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
FOR WOMEN WITH WELL-CONTROLLED HYPERTENSION, MONITOR BLOOD PRESSURE AND STOP BEYAZ IF BLOOD PRESSURE RISES SIGNIFICANTLY. WOMEN WITH UNCONTROLLED HYPERTENSION OR HYPERTENSION WITH VASCULAR DISEASE SHOULD NOT USE COCS.
AN INCREASE IN BLOOD PRESSURE HAS BEEN REPORTED IN WOMEN TAKING COCS, AND THIS INCREASE IS MORE LIKELY IN OLDER WOMEN AND WITH EXTENDED DURATION OF USE. THE INCIDENCE OF HYPERTENSION INCREASES WITH INCREASING CONCENTRATION OF PROGESTIN.
GALLBLADDER DISEASE
STUDIES SUGGEST A SMALL INCREASED RELATIVE RISK OF DEVELOPING GALLBLADDER DISEASE AMONG COC USERS.
CARBOHYDRATE AND LIPID METABOLIC EFFECTS
CAREFULLY MONITOR PREDIABETIC AND DIABETIC WOMEN WHO ARE TAKING BEYAZ. COCS MAY DECREASE GLUCOSE TOLERANCE IN A DOSE-RELATED FASHION.
CONSIDER ALTERNATIVE CONTRACEPTION FOR WOMEN WITH UNCONTROLLED DYSLIPIDEMIA. A SMALL PROPORTION OF WOMEN WILL HAVE ADVERSE LIPID CHANGES WHILE ON COCS.
WOMEN WITH HYPERTRIGLYCERIDEMIA, OR A FAMILY HISTORY THEREOF, MAY BE AT AN INCREASED RISK OF PANCREATITIS WHEN USING COCS.
HEADACHE
IF A WOMAN TAKING BEYAZ DEVELOPS NEW HEADACHES THAT ARE RECURRENT, PERSISTENT, OR SEVERE, EVALUATE THE CAUSE AND DISCONTINUE BEYAZ IF INDICATED.
AN INCREASE IN FREQUENCY OR SEVERITY OF MIGRAINE DURING COC USE (WHICH MAY BE PRODROMAL OF A CEREBROVASCULAR EVENT) MAY BE A REASON FOR IMMEDIATE DISCONTINUATION OF THE COC.
BLEEDING IRREGULARITIES
UNSCHEDULED (BREAKTHROUGH OR INTRACYCLIC) BLEEDING AND SPOTTING SOMETIMES OCCUR IN PATIENTS ON COCS, ESPECIALLY DURING THE FIRST THREE MONTHS OF USE. IF BLEEDING PERSISTS OR OCCURS AFTER PREVIOUSLY REGULAR CYCLES, CHECK FOR CAUSES SUCH AS PREGNANCY OR MALIGNANCY. IF PATHOLOGY AND PREGNANCY ARE EXCLUDED, BLEEDING IRREGULARITIES MAY RESOLVE OVER TIME OR WITH A CHANGE TO A DIFFERENT COC.
DATA FOR BEYAZ SHOW THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF EPISODES OF BLEEDING PER REFERENCE PERIOD (90 DAYS) WAS 3.2 IN CYCLES 4-6. THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF BLEEDING AND/OR SPOTTING DAYS WITH BEYAZ WAS 15.1 DAYS. THE INTENSITY OF BLEEDING FOR BEYAZ BASED ON THE RATIO OF SPOTTING-ONLY DAYS VERSUS TOTAL BLEEDING AND/OR SPOTTING DAYS WAS 5.2/15.1 DAYS.
BASED ON PATIENT DIARIES FROM TWO CONTRACEPTIVE CLINICAL TRIALS OF YAZ, 8 TO 25% OF WOMEN EXPERIENCED UNSCHEDULED BLEEDING PER 28-DAY CYCLE. A TOTAL OF 12 SUBJECTS OUT OF 1,056 (1.1%) DISCONTINUED YAZ DUE TO MENSTRUAL DISORDERS INCLUDING INTERMENSTRUAL BLEEDING, MENORRHAGIA, AND METRORRHAGIA.
WOMEN WHO USE BEYAZ MAY EXPERIENCE ABSENCE OF WITHDRAWAL BLEEDING, EVEN IF THEY ARE NOT PREGNANT. BASED ON SUBJECT DIARIES FROM YAZ CONTRACEPTION TRIALS FOR UP TO 13 CYCLES, 6 TO 10% OF WOMEN EXPERIENCED CYCLES WITH NO WITHDRAWAL BLEEDING. SOME WOMEN MAY ENCOUNTER POST-PILL AMENORRHEA OR OLIGOMENORRHEA, ESPECIALLY WHEN SUCH A CONDITION WAS PRE-EXISTENT.
IF WITHDRAWAL BLEEDING DOES NOT OCCUR, CONSIDER THE POSSIBILITY OF PREGNANCY. IF THE PATIENT HAS NOT ADHERED TO THE PRESCRIBED DOSING SCHEDULE (MISSED ONE OR MORE ACTIVE TABLETS OR STARTED TAKING THEM ON A DAY LATER THAN SHE SHOULD HAVE), CONSIDER THE POSSIBILITY OF PREGNANCY AT THE TIME OF THE FIRST MISSED PERIOD AND TAKE APPROPRIATE DIAGNOSTIC MEASURES. IF THE PATIENT HAS ADHERED TO THE PRESCRIBED REGIMEN AND MISSES TWO CONSECUTIVE PERIODS, RULE OUT PREGNANCY.
COC USE BEFORE OR DURING EARLY PREGNANCY
EXTENSIVE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES HAVE REVEALED NO INCREASED RISK OF BIRTH DEFECTS IN WOMEN WHO HAVE USED ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES PRIOR TO PREGNANCY. STUDIES ALSO DO NOT SUGGEST A TERATOGENIC EFFECT, PARTICULARLY IN SO FAR AS CARDIAC ANOMALIES AND LIMB-REDUCTION DEFECTS ARE CONCERNED, WHEN TAKEN INADVERTENTLY DURING EARLY PREGNANCY. DISCONTINUE BEYAZ IF PREGNANCY IS CONFIRMED AND INITIATE A PRENATAL VITAMIN CONTAINING FOLATE SUPPLEMENTATION.
THE ADMINISTRATION OF ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES TO INDUCE WITHDRAWAL BLEEDING SHOULD NOT BE USED AS A TEST FOR PREGNANCY [SEE USE IN SPECIFIC POPULATIONS].
DEPRESSION
WOMEN WITH A HISTORY OF DEPRESSION SHOULD BE CAREFULLY OBSERVED AND BEYAZ DISCONTINUED IF DEPRESSION RECURS TO A SERIOUS DEGREE.
INTERFERENCE WITH LABORATORY TESTS
THE USE OF COCS MAY CHANGE THE RESULTS OF SOME LABORATORY TESTS, SUCH AS COAGULATION FACTORS, LIPIDS, GLUCOSE TOLERANCE, AND BINDING PROTEINS. WOMEN ON THYROID HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY MAY NEED INCREASED DOSES OF THYROID HORMONE BECAUSE SERUM CONCENTRATIONS OF THYROID-BINDING GLOBULIN INCREASE WITH USE OF COCS [SEE DRUG INTERACTIONS].
DRSP CAUSES AN INCREASE IN PLASMA RENIN ACTIVITY AND PLASMA ALDOSTERONE INDUCED BY ITS MILD ANTIMINERALOCORTICOID ACTIVITY.
FOLATES MAY MASK VITAMIN B12 DEFICIENCY.
MONITORING
A WOMAN WHO IS TAKING COCS SHOULD HAVE A YEARLY VISIT WITH HER HEALTHCARE PROVIDER FOR A BLOOD PRESSURE CHECK AND FOR OTHER INDICATED HEALTHCARE.
OTHER CONDITIONS
IN WOMEN WITH HEREDITARY ANGIOEDEMA, EXOGENOUS ESTROGENS MAY INDUCE OR EXACERBATE SYMPTOMS OF ANGIOEDEMA. CHLOASMA MAY OCCASIONALLY OCCUR, ESPECIALLY IN WOMEN WITH A HISTORY OF CHLOASMA GRAVIDARUM. WOMEN WITH A TENDENCY TO CHLOASMA SHOULD AVOID EXPOSURE TO THE SUN OR ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION WHILE TAKING COCS.
PATIENT COUNSELING INFORMATION
SEE “FDA-APPROVED PATIENT LABELING (PATIENT INFORMATION).”
COUNSEL PATIENTS THAT CIGARETTE SMOKING INCREASES THE RISK OF SERIOUS CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS FROM COC USE, AND THAT WOMEN WHO ARE OVER 35 YEARS OLD AND SMOKE SHOULD NOT USE COCS.
COUNSEL PATIENTS THAT THE INCREASED RISK OF VTE COMPARED TO NON-USERS OF COCS IS GREATEST AFTER INITIALLY STARTING A COC OR RESTARTING (FOLLOWING A 4-WEEK OR GREATER PILL-FREE INTERVAL) THE SAME OR A DIFFERENT COC.
COUNSEL PATIENTS ABOUT THE INFORMATION REGARDING THE RISK OF VTE WITH DRSP-CONTAINING COCS COMPARED TO COCS THAT CONTAIN LEVONORGESTREL OR SOME OTHER PROGESTINS.
COUNSEL PATIENTS THAT BEYAZ DOES NOT PROTECT AGAINST HIV-INFECTION (AIDS) AND OTHER SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES.
COUNSEL PATIENTS ON WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH COCS.
COUNSEL PATIENTS THAT BEYAZ CONTAINS DRSP. DROSPIRENONE MAY INCREASE POTASSIUM. PATIENTS SHOULD BE ADVISED TO INFORM THEIR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IF THEY HAVE KIDNEY, LIVER OR ADRENAL DISEASE BECAUSE THE USE OF BEYAZ IN THE PRESENCE OF THESE CONDITIONS COULD CAUSE SERIOUS HEART AND HEALTH PROBLEMS. THEY SHOULD ALSO INFORM THEIR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IF THEY ARE CURRENTLY ON DAILY, LONG-TERM TREATMENT (NSAIDS, POTASSIUM-SPARING DIURETICS, POTASSIUM SUPPLEMENTATION, ACE INHIBITORS, ANGIOTENSIN-II RECEPTOR ANTAGONISTS, HEPARIN OR ALDOSTERONE ANTAGONISTS) FOR A CHRONIC CONDITION.
INFORM PATIENTS THAT BEYAZ IS NOT INDICATED DURING PREGNANCY. IF PREGNANCY OCCURS DURING TREATMENT WITH BEYAZ, INSTRUCT THE PATIENT TO STOP FURTHER INTAKE. HOWEVER, WOMEN SHOULD BE ADVISED ON THE CONTINUED NEED OF SUFFICIENT FOLATE INTAKE.
COUNSEL PATIENTS TO TAKE ONE TABLET DAILY BY MOUTH AT THE SAME TIME EVERY DAY. INSTRUCT PATIENTS WHAT TO DO IN THE EVENT PILLS ARE MISSED. SEE “WHAT TO DO IF YOU MISS PILLS” SECTION IN FDA-APPROVED PATIENT LABELING.
COUNSEL PATIENTS TO USE A BACK-UP OR ALTERNATIVE METHOD OF CONTRACEPTION WHEN ENZYME INDUCERS ARE USED WITH COCS.
COUNSEL PATIENTS WHO ARE BREASTFEEDING OR WHO DESIRE TO BREASTFEED THAT COCS MAY REDUCE BREAST MILK PRODUCTION. THIS IS LESS LIKELY TO OCCUR IF BREASTFEEDING IS WELL ESTABLISHED.
COUNSEL ANY PATIENT WHO STARTS COCS POSTPARTUM, AND WHO HAS NOT YET HAD A PERIOD, TO USE AN ADDITIONAL METHOD OF CONTRACEPTION UNTIL SHE HAS TAKEN A PINK TABLET FOR 7 CONSECUTIVE DAYS.
COUNSEL PATIENTS THAT AMENORRHEA MAY OCCUR. RULE OUT PREGNANCY IN THE EVENT OF AMENORRHEA IN TWO OR MORE CONSECUTIVE CYCLES.
COUNSEL PATIENTS TO REPORT WHETHER THEY ARE TAKING FOLATE SUPPLEMENTS. BEYAZ CONTAINS THE EQUIVALENT OF 0.4 MG (400 MCG) OF FOLIC ACID.
COUNSEL PATIENTS TO MAINTAIN FOLATE SUPPLEMENTATION IF THEY DISCONTINUE BEYAZ DUE TO PREGNANCY.
NONCLINICAL TOXICOLOGY
CARCINOGENESIS, MUTAGENESIS, IMPAIRMENT OF FERTILITY
IN A 24 MONTH ORAL CARCINOGENICITY STUDY IN MICE DOSED WITH 10 MG/KG/DAY DRSP ALONE OR 1 + 0.01, 3 + 0.03 AND 10 + 0.1 MG/KG/DAY OF DRSP AND EE, 0.1 TO 2 TIMES THE EXPOSURE (AUC OF DRSP) OF WOMEN TAKING A CONTRACEPTIVE DOSE, THERE WAS AN INCREASE IN CARCINOMAS OF THE HARDERIAN GLAND IN THE GROUP THAT RECEIVED THE HIGH DOSE OF DRSP ALONE. IN A SIMILAR STUDY IN RATS GIVEN 10 MG/KG/DAY DRSP ALONE OR 0.3 + 0.003, 3 + 0.03 AND 10 + 0.1 MG/KG/DAY DRSP AND EE, 0.8 TO 10 TIMES THE EXPOSURE OF WOMEN TAKING A CONTRACEPTIVE DOSE, THERE WAS AN INCREASED INCIDENCE OF BENIGN AND TOTAL (BENIGN AND MALIGNANT) ADRENAL GLAND PHEOCHROMOCYTOMAS IN THE GROUP RECEIVING THE HIGH DOSE OF DRSP. MUTAGENESIS STUDIES FOR DRSP WERE CONDUCTED IN VIVO AND IN VITRO AND NO EVIDENCE OF MUTAGENIC ACTIVITY WAS OBSERVED.
LONG-TERM ANIMAL STUDIES HAVE NOT BEEN CONDUCTED TO EVALUATE THE CARCINOGENIC POTENTIAL OF LEVOMEFOLATE. MUTAGENESIS STUDIES FOR LEVOMEFOLATE WERE CONDUCTED IN VITRO AND IN VIVO AND NO EVIDENCE OF MUTAGENIC ACTIVITY WAS OBSERVED.
USE IN SPECIFIC POPULATIONS
PREGNANCY
THERE IS LITTLE OR NO INCREASED RISK OF BIRTH DEFECTS IN WOMEN WHO INADVERTENTLY USE COCS DURING EARLY PREGNANCY. EPIDEMIOLOGIC STUDIES AND META-ANALYSES HAVE NOT FOUND AN INCREASED RISK OF GENITAL OR NON-GENITAL BIRTH DEFECTS (INCLUDING CARDIAC ANOMALIES AND LIMB-REDUCTION DEFECTS) FOLLOWING EXPOSURE TO LOW DOSE COCS PRIOR TO CONCEPTION OR DURING EARLY PREGNANCY.
THE ADMINISTRATION OF COCS TO INDUCE WITHDRAWAL BLEEDING SHOULD NOT BE USED AS A TEST FOR PREGNANCY. COCS SHOULD NOT BE USED DURING PREGNANCY TO TREAT THREATENED OR HABITUAL ABORTION.
WOMEN WHO DO NOT BREASTFEED MAY START COCS NO EARLIER THAN FOUR WEEKS POSTPARTUM.
NURSING MOTHERS
WHEN POSSIBLE, ADVISE THE NURSING MOTHER TO USE OTHER FORMS OF CONTRACEPTION UNTIL SHE HAS WEANED HER CHILD. ESTROGEN-CONTAINING COCS CAN REDUCE MILK PRODUCTION IN BREASTFEEDING MOTHERS. THIS IS LESS LIKELY TO OCCUR ONCE BREASTFEEDING IS WELL-ESTABLISHED; HOWEVER, IT CAN OCCUR AT ANY TIME IN SOME WOMEN. SMALL AMOUNTS OF ORAL CONTRACEPTIVE STEROIDS AND/OR METABOLITES ARE PRESENT IN BREAST MILK.
AFTER ORAL ADMINISTRATION OF 3 MG DRSP/0.03 MG EE TABLETS (YASMIN), ABOUT 0.02% OF THE DRSP DOSE WAS EXCRETED INTO THE BREAST MILK OF POSTPARTUM WOMEN WITHIN 24 HOURS. THIS RESULTS IN A MAXIMAL DAILY DOSE OF ABOUT 0.003 MG DRSP IN AN INFANT.
STUDIES TO DATE INDICATE THERE IS NO ADVERSE EFFECT OF FOLATE ON NURSING INFANTS.
PEDIATRIC USE
SAFETY AND EFFICACY OF BEYAZ HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED IN WOMEN OF REPRODUCTIVE AGE. EFFICACY IS EXPECTED TO BE THE SAME FOR POSTPUBERTAL ADOLESCENTS UNDER THE AGE OF 18 AND FOR USERS 18 YEARS AND OLDER. USE OF THIS PRODUCT BEFORE MENARCHE IS NOT INDICATED.
GERIATRIC USE
BEYAZ HAS NOT BEEN STUDIED IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN AND IS NOT INDICATED IN THIS POPULATION.
PATIENTS WITH RENAL IMPAIRMENT
BEYAZ IS CONTRAINDICATED IN PATIENTS WITH RENAL IMPAIRMENT [SEE CONTRAINDICATIONS AND WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS].
IN SUBJECTS WITH CREATININE CLEARANCE (CLCR) OF 50–79 ML/MIN, SERUM DRSP CONCENTRATIONS WERE COMPARABLE TO THOSE IN A CONTROL GROUP WITH CLCR = 80 ML/MIN. IN SUBJECTS WITH CLCR OF 30–49 ML/MIN, SERUM DRSP CONCENTRATIONS WERE ON AVERAGE 37% HIGHER THAN THOSE IN THE CONTROL GROUP. IN ADDITION, THERE IS A POTENTIAL TO DEVELOP HYPERKALEMIA IN SUBJECTS WITH RENAL IMPAIRMENT WHOSE SERUM POTASSIUM IS IN THE UPPER REFERENCE RANGE, AND WHO ARE CONCOMITANTLY USING POTASSIUM-SPARING DRUGS [SEE CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY].
PATIENTS WITH HEPATIC IMPAIRMENT
BEYAZ IS CONTRAINDICATED IN PATIENTS WITH HEPATIC DISEASE [SEE CONTRAINDICATIONS AND WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS]. THE MEAN EXPOSURE TO DRSP IN WOMEN WITH MODERATE LIVER IMPAIRMENT IS APPROXIMATELY THREE TIMES HIGHER THAN THE EXPOSURE IN WOMEN WITH NORMAL LIVER FUNCTION. BEYAZ HAS NOT BEEN STUDIED IN WOMEN WITH SEVERE HEPATIC IMPAIRMENT.
RACE
NO CLINICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS OBSERVED BETWEEN THE PHARMACOKINETICS OF DRSP OR EE IN JAPANESE VERSUS CAUCASIAN WOMEN [SEE CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY].
OVERDOSE
THERE HAVE BEEN NO REPORTS OF SERIOUS ILL EFFECTS FROM OVERDOSE, INCLUDING INGESTION BY CHILDREN. OVERDOSAGE MAY CAUSE WITHDRAWAL BLEEDING IN FEMALES AND NAUSEA.
DRSP IS A SPIRONOLACTONE ANALOGUE WHICH HAS ANTIMINERALOCORTICOID PROPERTIES. SERUM CONCENTRATION OF POTASSIUM AND SODIUM, AND EVIDENCE OF METABOLIC ACIDOSIS, SHOULD BE MONITORED IN CASES OF OVERDOSE.
LEVOMEFOLATE CALCIUM DOSES OF 17 MG/DAY (37-FOLD HIGHER THAN THE LEVOMEFOLATE CALCIUM DOSE OF BEYAZ) WERE WELL TOLERATED AFTER LONG-TERM TREATMENT UP TO 12 WEEKS.
CONTRAINDICATIONS
DO NOT PRESCRIBE BEYAZ TO WOMEN WHO ARE KNOWN TO HAVE THE FOLLOWING:
RENAL IMPAIRMENT
ADRENAL INSUFFICIENCY
A HIGH RISK OF ARTERIAL OR VENOUS THROMBOTIC DISEASES. EXAMPLES INCLUDE WOMEN WHO ARE KNOWN TO:
SMOKE, IF OVER AGE 35 [SEE BOXED WARNING AND WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS ]
HAVE DEEP VEIN THROMBOSIS OR PULMONARY EMBOLISM, NOW OR IN THE PAST [SEE WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS]
HAVE CEREBROVASCULAR DISEASE [SEE WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS]
HAVE CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE [SEE WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS]
HAVE THROMBOGENIC VALVULAR OR THROMBOGENIC RHYTHM DISEASES OF THE HEART (FOR EXAMPLE, SUBACUTE BACTERIAL ENDOCARDITIS WITH VALVULAR DISEASE, OR ATRIAL FIBRILLATION) [SEE WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS]
HAVE INHERITED OR ACQUIRED HYPERCOAGULOPATHIES [SEE WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS]
HAVE UNCONTROLLED HYPERTENSION [SEE WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS]
HAVE DIABETES MELLITUS WITH VASCULAR DISEASE [SEE WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS]
HAVE HEADACHES WITH FOCAL NEUROLOGICAL SYMPTOMS OR HAVE MIGRAINE HEADACHES WITH OR WITHOUT AURA IF OVER AGE 35 [SEE WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS]
UNDIAGNOSED ABNORMAL UTERINE BLEEDING [SEE WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS]
BREAST CANCER OR OTHER ESTROGEN- OR PROGESTIN-SENSITIVE CANCER, NOW OR IN THE PAST [SEE WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS]
LIVER TUMORS, BENIGN OR MALIGNANT, OR LIVER DISEASE [SEE WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS AND USE IN SPECIFIC POPULATIONS]
PREGNANCY, BECAUSE THERE IS NO REASON TO USE COCS DURING PREGNANCY [SEE WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS AND USE IN SPECIFIC POPULATIONS]
CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY
ONE STUDY WAS A MULTICENTER, RANDOMIZED, DOUBLE-BLIND, ACTIVE-CONTROLLED, PARALLEL GROUP