the redemption on March 31 last of the 3rd and 4th generation pills the death knell for the last generations of combined oral contraceptives? It would seem so, judging by the conclusions of the report of the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines (ANSM). This study was based on nearly 4 million women aged 15 to 49 living in France and having had at least one combined oral contraceptive reimbursed by the Health Insurance between July 1, 2010 and December 31, 2011.
First observation, the 3 G pills present a twice higher risk of pulmonary embolism than the so-called 1st and 2nd generation pills, reports the study.
Falling sales of 3G pills
Warnings about the risks of venous thrombosis, linked to the pill taking 3 Gand 4 G, visibly put off the users since the sales of these pills recent ones have plummeted in recent months (- 43% between May 2011 and May 2012). A decrease which was made in favor of the 1st and 2nd generation pills (1G and 2G) which experienced an increase in sales of 34% over the same period.
In the end, the pills of the first two generations now represent 73% of COC pill sales, compared to 52% last year.
The risk of pulmonary embolism increases with age
The director of the ANSM, Professor Maraninchi, is satisfied with this development in favor of 2G pills. However, the risk of pulmonary embolism exists in older women who take the pill, regardless of the dosage (2G, 3 G or 4 G). “Regardless of the progestin […] there is an increased risk depending on the age of the order of a factor of 4 between the oldest group (45-49 years) and the youngest group (15-19 years) “, specifies the report .