Estrogen patch suspected in student death

BOSTON, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- A Boston woman whose teenage daughter died of a pulmonary embolism says she doesn't understand why the contraceptive patch Ortho Evra is still on the market.

Leslie Niedner says she believes the Sept. 28 death of her daughter Adrianna was linked to the 17-year-old's use of the contraceptive patch, The Boston Globe reported Wednesday.

Niedner says an online search revealed thousands of lawsuits have been filed against the makers of Ortho Evra by women who had heart attacks, strokes or blood clots after using the patch.

Though sales of the drug have plummeted about 75 percent, it is still FDA-approved.

"It's needlessly dangerous," said Sidney Wolfe, director of the Health Research Group at Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy organization in Washington.

Wolfe cites research showing the patch delivers far more estrogen than birth control pills. Higher estrogen levels can double a woman's risk of blood clots, he says.