Ortho Evra Birth Control Patch May Increase Risk of Blood Clots

RARITAN, N.J. - Ortho-McNeil is warning healthcare professionals and consumers that its Ortho Evra birth control patch may increase the risk of blood clots because it transmits 60 percent more estrogen than oral birth control pills.

Ortho Evra (norelgestromin/ethinyl estradiol transdermal system) is a weekly prescription patch that releases ethinyl estradiol and norelgesteromin through the skin into the blood stream, the Food and Drug Administration said. Ortho-McNeil, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, said more than 5 million women have used the patch since it was FDA-approved in 2002.

The updated label reads:

'The pharmacokinetic (PK) profile for the ORTHO …