TCU students urged to heed contraception patch warnings
February 25th, 2009 by Jennifer Walker-Journey
Students at Texas Christian University (TCU) now have access to more affordable contraceptives through the university’s Health Center, according to the TCU news Web site Daily Skiff. The Health Center negotiated a contract with drug companies to offer the discounted rates to students requesting contraceptives such as Ortho Tri-Cyclen and the Ortho Evra Contraceptive Transdermal Patch.
However, students may want to weigh their contraception options more closely. Johnson & Johnson, the makers of the Ortho Evra contraceptive patch has been riddled with lawsuits claiming the patches cause serious side effects in young women, such as blood clots and even death. The patches reportedly can leak too much estrogen into the bloodstream causing the serious health problems.
According to reports, several lawsuits against the company have already ended with confidential settlements and Johnson & Johnson has already told plaintiffs attorneys that it is ready to work out settlements with the others it faces.
The Ortho Evra patch was originally marketed to women seeking an alternative to the once-daily birth control pill. However, since its debut there has been an emerging pattern of young women suffering from pulmonary embolisms and strokes.
Johnson & Johnson no longer actively markets the patch, but it is still available and has yet to be pulled from the market despite petitions by consumer group Public Citizen to the FDA to remove the product. The group also claims removal of the patch would have an environmental benefit, as the discarded patches could leak contaminants into the environment after they are disposed of by consumers.