UTRECHT, The Netherlands and WHITEHOUSE STATION, New Jersey, August 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --
-- MSD and Teva Bring Forward New Contraception Option for Women
Teva Pharmaceuticals Europe BV, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. , and MSD (known as Merck in the United States and Canada) , today announced that ZOELY(TM), a new oral contraceptive (nomegestrol acetate 2.5 mg /17beta-estradiol 1.5 mg), has been granted Marketing Authorization by the European Commission for the prevention of pregnancy in women.
ZOELY is a combined oral contraceptive (COC) tablet containing a unique monophasic combination of two hormones; nomegestrol acetate, a highly selective progesterone-derived progestin and 17beta estradiol, an estrogen that is similar to the one naturally present in a woman's body. This innovative combination will be made available to women in a regimen that contains twenty-four days of active pills and four days of placebo pills. ZOELY is more than 99 percent effective in preventing pregnancy when used as directed.
"The approval of ZOELY further reinforces MSD's longstanding commitment to providing women with greater choice in contraceptive options," said Terrie Curran, general manager and global franchise leader, Women's Health, MSD. "We're delighted to add ZOELY to our robust women's health portfolio through the strong collaborative relationship we have established with our colleagues at Théramex, now a subsidiary of Teva."
"The EU Marketing Authorization for ZOELY marks an important step in creating a strong women's healthcare franchise for Teva in Europe," said Christophe Hubert, vice-president Women's Health Teva Europe and president of Théramex, Teva's Women's Health specialist subsidiary. "The acquisition of Théramex in January this year gives us a platform to leverage our capability in women's healthcare, and the launch of ZOELY is part of our developing business in this area."
The Marketing Authorization of ZOELY applies to all 27 European Union (EU) Member States plus the EEA-EFTA states (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway).
Information on the clinical program for ZOELY
The efficacy and safety of ZOELY has been demonstrated in two randomized, open-label comparative trials with more than 3,200 women treated for up to 13 consecutive cycles. The Pearl Index (PI) was the primary efficacy endpoint used to assess the contraceptive reliability for both studies and found ZOELY to be highly effective in preventing pregnancy.
In the clinical trial performed in the European Union, 1589 women were treated with ZOELY for up to 13 cycles. The Pearl Index for women aged 1835, (n=1315) including method and user failure, was calculated as 0.38 (upper limit 95% confidence interval 0.97). The PI calculation was based on pregnancies that occurred after the onset of treatment and within two days after the last pill intake.
In a separate randomized, open label trial, 32 women were treated for six cycles with ZOELY. After discontinuation of ZOELY, 79% of women returned to ovulation within the first twenty-eight days.
Important Safety Information
ZOELY is contraindicated in patients with hypersensitivity to the active substance or to any of the excipients. Like other COCs, ZOELY also is contraindicated in patients with presence or history of venous thrombosis (deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism), arterial thrombosis (e.g., myocardial infarction) or prodromal conditions (e.g. transient ischaemic attack, angina pectoris). Furthermore, ZOELY is contraindicated in patients with the presence or history of cerebrovascular accident, and those with history of migraine with focal neurological symptoms. ZOELY is also contraindicated in patients with the presence of a severe or multiple risk factor(s) for venous or arterial thrombosis such as: diabetes mellitus with vascular symptoms, severe hypertension, and severe dyslipoproteinemia.
ZOELY is contraindicated in patients with hereditary or acquired predisposition for venous or arterial thrombosis, such as activated protein C (APC) resistance, antithrombin-III-deficiency, protein C deficiency, protein S deficiency, hyperhomocysteinaemia and antiphospholipid antibodies (anticardiolipin antibodies, lupus anticoagulant). Furthermore, ZOELY is contraindicated in patients with pancreatitis or a history thereof if associated with severe hypertriglyceridaemia, patients with the presence or history of severe hepatic disease as long as liver function values have not returned to normal, and patients with the presence or history of liver tumours (benign or malignant). ZOELY is also contraindicated in patients with known or suspected sex steroid-influenced malignancies (e.g., of the genital organs or the breasts), and patients with undiagnosed vaginal bleeding.
The use of any COC, including ZOELY, carries an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) compared with no use. The excess risk of VTE is highest during the first year a woman ever uses a COC. Epidemiological studies have also associated the use of COCs with an increased risk for arterial (myocardial infarction, transient ischaemic attack) thromboembolism. The risk of arterial thromboembolic complications or of a cerebrovascular accident in COC users increases with age and smoking. Women over 35 years of age should be strongly advised not to smoke if they wish to use a COC. 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 ZOELY use.
An increased risk of cervical cancer in long-term users of COCs (> 5 years) has been reported in some epidemiological studies, but there continues to be controversy about the extent to which this finding is attributable to the confounding effects of sexual behaviour and other factors such as human papilloma virus (HPV). No epidemiological data on the risk of cervical cancer in users of ZOELY are available. A meta-analysis from 54 epidemiological studies reported that there is a slightly increased relative risk (RR = 1.24) of having breast cancer diagnosed in women who are currently using COCs. The excess risk gradually disappears during the course of the 10 years after cessation of COC use.
Women with hypertriglyceridaemia, or a family history thereof, may be at an increased risk of pancreatitis when using COCs. Although small increases in blood pressure have been reported in many women taking COCs, clinically relevant increases are rare. A relationship between COC use and clinical hypertension has not been established. Acute or chronic disturbances of liver function may necessitate the discontinuation of COC use until markers of liver function return to normal. Diabetic women should be carefully observed while taking a COC, especially in the first few months of use.
Women should be advised that oral contraceptives do not protect against HIV infections (AIDS) and other sexually transmitted diseases.
With all COCs, irregular bleeding (spotting or breakthrough bleeding) may occur, especially during the first months of use.
In clinical studies, adverse reactions that were reported by greater than 10% of users as possibly treatment related included acne and changes to menstrual periods. In addition 1%-10% of users reported the following adverse events as possibly treatment related: decreased interest in sex, depression, headache or migraine, nausea, heavy menstrual periods, weight gain, breast pain, and pelvic pain.
Before initiating ZOELY treatment, the full prescribing information should be consulted.
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