FDA Panel Backs Overall Benefit Of Yaz Pills
ADELPHI, Md. (AP) -- A majority of medical experts has voted that Yaz and other popular birth control pills remain a beneficial option for women, despite an increasing number of studies suggesting the drugs are more likely to cause dangerous blood clots than older birth control pills.
The panel of Food and Drug Administration advisers voted 15-11 that the benefits of Bayer's Yaz, Yasmin and similar medications outweigh the risks.
The FDA convened the panel to consider additional safety measures for newer contraceptives based on recent studies that show a slightly higher risk of blood clots with the drugs. Evidence on the risk is inconsistent, with conflicting results between different studies.
The panel is now scheduled to discuss adding new warning information to the drugs' labeling about the potential risks of blood clots.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
