The Meneo Law Group

Studies Appearing in the British Medical Journal (2009)

Oral contraceptives containing drospirenone (YAZ®, YASMIN®, and OCELLA®) are relatively new to the market. While so-called first, second and third generation oral contraceptives have been available for many years, oral contraceptives containing drospirenone (YAZ®, YASMIN®, and OCELLA®).have been on the market since 2001. As a result, there are fewer safety studies concerning these medications.

Two recent studies published in the prestigious British Medical Journal report that the risk of venous thrombosis is greater for oral contraceptives containing drospirenone -(YAZ®, YASMIN®, and OCELLA®) than it is for many other available oral contraceptives. Both studies appear to conclude that the use of oral contraceptives containing drospirenone (YAZ®, YASMIN®, and OCELLA®) carries a greater risk of venous thromboembolism when compared to oral contraceptives containing the progestin levonorgestrel.

The first study entitled “The venous thrombotic risk of oral contraceptives, effects of oestrogen dose and progestogen type: results of the MEGA case-control study” by A van Hylckama Vlieg et. Al, (BMJ 2009; 339:b2921 doi:10.1136/bmj.b2921) is available HERE.

The second study entitled “Hormonal contraception and risk of venous thromboembolism: national follow-up study” by Ojvind Lidegaard et. Al. ((BMJ 2009; 339:b2890 doi:10.1136/bmj.b2890) is available HERE.

The Study by Vlieg et. al
This study was designed as a population based case-control study and involved 3284 women (1524 patients and 1760 controls) from six participating anticoagulation clinics located in the Netherlands. The authors concluded that “[t]hre risk of thrombosis associated with oral contraceptives containing cyproterone acetate or drospirenone [YAZ®, YASMIN®, and OCELLA®] was similar to that associated with oral contraceptives containing desogestrel – a sixfold to sevenfold increased risk compared with non-users.” [emapsis added].  The data from this study also support the conclusion that the use of oral contraceptives containing drospirenone (YAZ®, YASMIN®, and OCELLA®) carries a greater risk of venous thromboembolism when compared to oral contraceptives containing the progestin levonorgestrel.

The Study by Lindegaard et. al
This study was designed as a cohort study conducted between 1995 and 2005 in Denmark involving Danish women between the ages of 15 and 49 with no history of cardiovascular or malignant disease. The authors of the study concluded that for the same dose of estrogen and for the same duration of use, oral contraceptives containing certain progestogens including drospirenone (such as YAZ® and YASMIN ®) were associated with a greater risk of venous thromboembolism than oral contraceptives containing levonorgestrel. The authors also found a four-fold increase in the risk of venous thromboembolism among users of drospirenone-containing oral contraceptives (such as YAZ®, YASMIN®, and OCELLA®) when compared to non-users of oral contraceptives.