by Playfuls Staff |
19th July 2006
Following its approval by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration, women in the United States now
have the option of using the Implanon contraceptive implant developed by Akzo
Nobel’s human healthcare business, Organon. [more]
About the size of a matchstick, Implanon (etonogestrel
implant) 68 mg, is the world’s first and only single-rod implantable
contraceptive, and is effective for up to three years. Launched in 1998, it has
been used by more than 2.5 million women worldwide and is available in over 30
countries.
“Implanon is a state-of-the-art contraceptive which
further demonstrates Organon’s ongoing commitment to continue its leadership
position in gynecology,” said Toon Wilderbeek, Akzo Nobel’s Board member
responsible for Pharma. “We are excited about the FDA’s approval for Implanon,
which represents a real advance in contraceptive technology and will provide
women with a new level of confidence in contraception.”
Made of a soft medical plymer, Implanon is insterted just
under the skin of a woman's upper inner arm by a healthcare professional during
a simple in-office procedure, after which it is generally not visible. The
product continuously releases a low, steady dose of progestogen (etonogestrel)
for a priod of three years. Removal can occur at anytime at the request of the
user, after which the woman's fertility rapidly returns to pre-existing
fertility, commensurate with age. implanon must be removed at the end of the
third year and may be replaced by a new Implanon at the time of removal if
continued contraceptive protection is desired.
Organon USA
will be conducting a national clinical training program to train healthcare
providers on the insertion and removal procedures. Only healthcare
professionals trained through the Organon sponsored programs will be able to
prescribe Implanon for their patients. the clinical training program is
scheduled to bein later this year and, as the training program progresses,
Implanon will become more widely available during the course of 2007.
