Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth (NYSE: WYE), announced that Lybrel (90 mcg levonorgestrel/20 mcg ethinyl estradiol tablets) is now available by prescription in U.S. pharmacies.
Lybrel is indicated for the prevention of pregnancy and is the first and only low dose combination contraceptive pill taken 365 days a year, without a placebo phase or pill-free interval.
Lybrel is priced comparably to other recently introduced brand name oral contraceptive products, packaged in the unique new ClickCase? and can be found at most pharmacies.
?As a leader in women?s health care, Wyeth is proud to be the first to provide women with a contraceptive option that allows many of them to put their monthly cycle on hold,? says Ginger Constantine, M.D., Vice President, Women?s Health Care, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. ?Women considering Lybrel should know that most subjects in the clinical studies experienced some breakthrough bleeding and spotting, especially during the first three to six months.?
Lybrel provides women with more hormonal exposure on a yearly basis (13 additional weeks of hormone intake per year) than conventional cyclic oral contraceptives containing the same strength of synthetic estrogens and similar strength of progestins.
The most common side effects reported with Lybrel in a clinical trial were headache, menstrual cramps, upper respiratory infection, vaginal bleeding, and nausea.
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth, has leading products in the areas of women?s health care, infectious disease, gastrointestinal health, central nervous system, inflammation, transplantation, hemophilia, oncology, vaccines and nutritional products.