U.K. affirms safety of contraceptive patch

LONDON, Sept. 20 (UPI) -- British medical experts say women using a patch for birth control should not be alarmed by unconfirmed reports linking it to deaths.

Those reports concern Johnson and Johnson's Ortho Evra contraceptive patch, the BBC reported Monday.

The government agency that regulates the safety of medicines in the United Kingdom said it had received two reports of clotting problems associated with the patch. Neither of these resulted in death.

"There is no reason for any woman to stop taking (Ortho) Evra on the basis of these findings," said a spokeswoman.

A suspected adverse reaction does not necessarily mean that the drug had caused the problem, she said. Smoking increases the likelihood of problems.

The patch combines two female sex hormones, estrogen and progesterone, also used in the contraceptive pill and so sometimes produces similar side effects.

It is known, for example, that around 25 out of every 100,000 women taking the pill will experience a clotting problem.

A spokeswoman from Britain's Family Planning Association said the risk with the patch was likely to be similar to the pill and less than the clotting risk associated with being pregnant, which is about 60 per 100,000.

"Women can be reassured the patch is a safe and highly effective method of contraception when appropriately prescribed," said a spokeswoman.