WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration said this week that it "remains concerned" that certain types of birth-control pills increase the risk of blood clots.
The FDA has previously said that two recent studies have reported a greater risk of blood clots for women taking birth-control pills containing drospirenone compared with women taking birth-control pills containing a different hormone called levonorgestrel. Two studies in 2009 had similar conclusions.
However, two studies published in 2007, conducted as part of the postmarketing requirements of the FDA or European regulators, did not find any difference in blood clotting between the two comparable groups.
The FDA said it hasn't reached a final conclusion but will hold a meeting of scientific panels Dec. 8 to discuss the topic.
Birth-control pills that contain drospirenone include Bayer's Yaz, Yasmin, Beyaz, Safyral; Sandoz's Syeda and Loryna; as well as Barr Laboratories' Ocella, Watson Pharmaceuticals' Zarah and Teva Pharmaceuticals' Loryna.
The FDA said women taking birth-control pills that contain drospirenone should consult a medical professional before deciding whether to stop taking them.
