FDA approves implantable contraceptive for women

LiveScience.com has news of the recent approval by the FDA of implantable contraceptives for women. Beginning in August, the new contraceptive should be available, with a 3-year potency period.

Implantable contraceptives soon will be available again to U.S. women seeking a long-term solution to birth control, with the approval of a matchstick-size rod that can prevent pregnancies for up to three years.

. . .

Implanon provides 99 percent contraceptive protection. It will be the first contraceptive implant to be sold in the United States since 2000, when Wyeth Pharmaceuticals stopped U.S. sales of Norplant.

. . .

The rod is inserted by a doctor under the skin of the upper arm in a quick surgical procedure that requires only a local anesthetic. It must be removed after three years, although it can be taken out at any time before then, according to the company, a unit of Netherlands-based Akzo Nobel NV.

More details in the full LiveScience.com article.

[tags]LiveScience, Long-term contraceptives, FDA[/tags]