In a press release, the Bayer group announces that it “took the decision to end the marketing of the medical device of permanent contraception Essure in all countries except the United States. This decision is taken for a commercial reason and comes to extend the one announced at the end of last May to stop the provision Essure in most countries “.
This method of contraception, launched 10 years ago, involves implanting a small spring in the tubes to block the passage of sperm. For several months, many women have complained bothersome side effects and sometimes very disabling. Faced with the large number of reports, the European health authorities decided, last August, to suspend the marketing of implants for a temporary period of 3 months, time to collect additional information on the contraceptive.
“A withdrawal which is not linked to the quality of the product”
But the Bayer laboratory finally decided not to wait until the end of the 3 months and to withdraw definitively from the European market, as well as from Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland. However, Bayer wishes “reassure patients, especially those carrying Essure, as well as all the healthcare professionals who support them that this decision is not linked to a product safety or quality problem”.
Bayer recalls that the experts called upon to assess the benefit / risk ratio of Essure considered that there was no no argument to advise withdrawalwomen who have no symptoms.
The company will continue to market this medical device in the United States, where the FDA recently concluded that this method of contraception has a favorable benefit-risk.
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