What is the problem with the Ortho Evra patch?
A woman who uses the Ortho Evra birth control patch is exposed to more estrogen than a woman who is on birth control pills. Estrogen can cause life-threatening blood clots and blood clot-related injuries, i.e. pulmonary embolisms, heart attacks, or strokes. A woman using the patch is 3 times more likely to have blood clots and die than a woman who is on birth control pills. The FDA and the drug company knew about these increased risks before Ortho Evra was approved, but they did not disclose this information to the public or to the physicians. They did not include this information in the Ortho Evra label. The drug company even refused to conduct a particular study after the drug was on the market because they knew it would reveal the increased risks. The FDA informed the public and ordered the drug company to add a warning to the label in November of 2005, only after the press had publicized the increased risk and the injuries and deaths caused by the patch. For more information, see F
