The ANSM (National Medicines Safety Agency) has been alerting health professionals and women, since early 2019, to the risk of meningioma associated with taking Lutéran / Lutényl contraceptive pills.
What does the June 2020 study reveal?
The epidemiological study warns about the risks of meningioma in women who take Lutéran / Lutényl and generics, in a prolonged way and in high dose. It also quantifies these risks: “a woman who takes any of these treatments for more than six months is about 3.3 times more likely to develop a meningioma * compared to the baseline risk”. What’s more, “the risk increases with the duration of treatment, and also with the dose used and the age of the patient: with Lutenyl the risk is multiplied by 12.5 after five years of treatment. Under Lutéran, it is multiplied by 7 for 3.5 years of treatment”. Meningioma is a benign tumor of the meninges (membranes that make up the lining of the brain). Meningioma is often noncancerous, but can be “causing serious problems”.
Risks are not automatic
This information is cause for concern for the 500,000 women who take the treatment. However, the danger is not systematic. A call for contributions is launched, pending a public consultation on Lutéran / Lutényl treatments and the risk of meningioma, on November 2, 2020. Preliminary recommendations for women on these pills have already been established. They are invited to consult their doctor to discuss their care. Those who are over 35 and who have been treated for at least 5 years can perform medical imaging (MRI). For women who have taken or are taking this treatment and who experience symptoms of meningioma such as “frequent headaches, vision, language or hearing problems, dizziness, memory problems …”, An MRI will be ordered by the doctor.
The recommendations of the health authority
Health professionals are required to inform their patients about the risks of meningiomas, to reassess the relevance of the treatment and its “individual benefit-risk”. They must also limit the duration of use of these drugs as well as their dosages, by prescribing the minimum effective doses. They are also able to offer an MRI in case of symptoms or prolonged treatment.
