Velivet (desogestrel and ethinyl estradiol tablets) is indicated for the prevention of pregnancy in women who elect to use this product as a method of contraception. Oral contraceptives are highly effective. Table 2 lists the typical unintended pregnancy rates for users of combination oral contraceptives and other methods of contraception. The efficacy of these contraceptive methods, except sterilization, the IUD, and implants, depends upon the reliability with which they are used.
Correct and consistent use of these methods can result in lower failure rates. TABLE 2: PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN EXPERIENCING AN UNINTENDED PREGNANCY DURING THE FIRST YEAR OF TYPICAL USE AND THE FIRST YEAR OF PERFECT USE OF CONTRACEPTION AND THE PERCENTAGE CONTINUING USE AT THE END OF THE FIRST YEAR, UNITED STATES. % of Women Experiencing an Unintended Pregnancy within the First Year of Use % of Women Continuing Use at One Year * Method Typical Use † Perfect Use ‡ (1) (2) (3) (4) Chance § 85 85 Spermicides ¶ 26 6 40 Periodic abstinence 25 63 Calendar 9 Ovulation Method 3 Sympto-Thermal # 2 Post-Ovulation 1 Withdrawal 19 4 Cap Þ Parous Women 40 26 42 Nulliparous Women 20 9 56 Sponge Parous Women 40 20 42 Nulliparous Women 20 9 56 Diaphragm Þ 20 6 56 Condom β Female (Reality) 21 5 56 Male 14 3 61 Pill 5 71 Progestin Only
0.5 Combined
0.1 IUD Progesterone T 2.0 1.5 81 Copper T 380A 0.8 0.6 78 LNg 20 0.1 0.1 81 Depo-Provera 0.3 0.3 70 Norplant and Norplant-2 0.05 0.05 88 Female sterilization 0.5 0.5 100 Male sterilization 0.15 0.10 100 Emergency Contraceptive Pills : Treatment initiated within 72 hours after unprotected intercourse reduces risk of pregnancy by at least 75%. à Lactational Amenorrhea Method : LAM is a highly effective, temporary method of contraception. è Source: Trussell J, Stewart F, Contraceptive Efficacy.
In Hatcher RA, Trussell J, Stewart F, Cates W, Stewart GK, Kowal D, Guest F, Contraceptive Technology: Seventeenth Revised Edition . New York, NY: Irvington Publishers, 1998. * Among couples attempting to avoid pregnancy, the percentage who continue to use a method for one year † Among typical couples who initiate use of a method (not necessarily for the first time), the percentage who experience an accidental pregnancy during the first year if they do not stop use for any other reason ‡ Among couples who initiate use of a method (not necessarily for the first time) and who use it perfectly (both consistently and correctly), the percentage who experience an accidental pregnancy during the first year if they do not stop use for any other reason à The treatment schedule is one dose within 72 hours after unprotected intercourse and a second dose 12 hours after the first dose.
The Food and Drug Administration has declared the following brands of oral contraceptives to be safe and effective for emergency contraception: Ovral ® (1 dose is 2 white pills), Alesse ® (1 dose is 5 pink pills), Nordette ® or Levlen ® (1 dose is 2 light orange pills), Lo/Ovral ® (1 dose is 4 white pills), Triphasil ® or Tri-Levlen ® (1 dose is 4 yellow pills) è However, to maintain effective protection against pregnancy, another method of contraception must be used as soon as menstruation resumes, the frequency or duration of breastfeeds is reduced, bottle feeds are introduced or the baby reaches six months of age § The percentage of women becoming pregnant noted in columns (2) and (3) are based on data from populations where contraception is not used and from women who cease using contraception in order to become pregnant.
Among such populations, about 89% became pregnant in one year. This estimate was lowered slightly (to 85%) to represent the percentage that would become pregnant within one year among women now relying on reversible methods of contraception if they abandon contraception altogether ¶ Foams, creams, gels, vaginal suppositories and vaginal film # Cervical mucous (ovulation) method supplemented by calendar in the preovulatory and basal body temperature in the postovulatory phases Þ With spermicidal cream or jelly β Without spermicides
Contraindications
Oral contraceptives should not be used in women who currently have the following conditions: Thrombophlebitis or thromboembolic disorders A past history of deep vein thrombophlebitis or thromboembolic disorders Cerebral vascular or coronary artery disease (current or history) Valvular heart disease with thrombogenic complications Severe hypertension Diabetes with vascular involvement Headaches with focal neurological symptoms Major surgery with prolonged immobilization Current diagnosis of, or history of, breast cancer, which may be hormone-sensitive Undiagnosed abnormal genital bleeding Cholestatic jaundice of pregnancy or jaundice with prior hormonal contraceptive use Hepatic tumors (benign or malignant) or active liver disease Known or suspected pregnancy Heavy smoking (≥ 15 cigarettes per day) and over age 35 Hypersensitivity to any of the components of Velivet (desogestrel and ethinyl estradiol tablets) Are receiving Hepatitis C drug combinations containing ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir, with or without dasabuvir, due to the potential for ALT elevations (see WARNINGS, Risk of Liver Enzyme Elevations with Concomitant Hepatitis C Treatment ).
Warnings and precautions
Cigarette smoking increases the risk of serious cardiovascular side effects from oral contraceptive use. This risk increases with age and with heavy smoking (15 or more cigarettes per day) and is quite marked in women over 35 years of age. Women who use oral contraceptives should be strongly advised not to smoke. The use of oral contraceptives is associated with increased risks of several serious conditions including venous and arterial thrombotic and thromboembolic events (such as myocardial infarction, thromboembolism, and stroke) hepatic neoplasia, gallbladder disease, and hypertension, although the risk of serious morbidity or mortality is very small in healthy women without underlying risk factors.
The risk of morbidity and mortality increases significantly in the presence of other underlying risk factors such as certain inherited thrombophilias, hypertension, hyperlipidemias, obesity, and diabetes. Practitioners prescribing oral contraceptives should be familiar with the following information relating to these risks. The information contained in this package insert is principally based on studies carried out in patients who used oral contraceptives with formulations of higher doses of estrogens and progestogens than those in common use today.
The effect of long-term use of the oral contraceptives with formulations of lower doses of both estrogens and progestogens remains to be determined. Throughout this labeling, epidemiologic studies reported are of two types: retrospective or case control studies and prospective or cohort studies. Case control studies provide a measure of the relative risk of a disease, namely, a ratio of the incidence of a disease among oral contraceptive users to that among non-users.
The relative risk does not provide information on the actual clinical occurrence of a disease. Cohort studies provide a measure of attributable risk, which is the difference in the incidence of disease between oral contraceptive users and non-users. The attributable risk does provide information about the actual occurrence of a disease in the population (Adapted from refs. 2 and 3 with the authors’ permission). For further information, the reader is referred to a text on epidemiological methods. 1.
Thromboembolic Disorders and Other Vascular Problems a. Thromboembolism An increased risk of thromboembolic and thrombotic disease associated with the use of oral contraceptives is well established. Case control studies have found the relative risk of users compared to non-users to be 3 for the first episode of superficial venous thrombosis, 4 to 11 for deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, and 1.5 to 6 for women with predisposing conditions for venous thromboembolic disease. 2, 3, 19 to 24 Cohort studies have shown the relative risk to be somewhat lower, about 3 for new cases and about 4.5 for new cases requiring hospitalization. 25 The risk of thromboembolic disease associated with oral contraceptives is not related to length of use and disappears after pill use is stopped. 2 Several epidemiologic studies indicate that third generation oral contraceptives, including those containing desogestrel, are associated with a higher risk of venous thromboembolism than certain second generation oral contraceptives. 102 to 104 In general, these studies indicate an approximate two-fold increased risk, which corresponds to an additional 1 to 2 cases of venous thromboembolism per 10,000 women-years of use.
However, data from additional studies have not shown this two-fold increase in risk. A two- to four-fold increase in relative risk of post-operative thromboembolic complications has been reported with the use of oral contraceptives. 9, 26 The relative risk of venous thrombosis in women who have predisposing conditions is twice that of women without such medical conditions. 9, 26 If feasible, oral contraceptives should be discontinued at least four weeks prior to and for two weeks after elective surgery of a type associated with an increase in risk of thromboembolism and during and following prolonged immobilization.
Since the immediate postpartum period is associated with an increased risk of thromboembolism, oral contraceptives should be started no earlier than four to six weeks after delivery in women who elect not to breastfeed. b. Myocardial infarction An increased risk of myocardial infarction has been attributed to oral contraceptive use. This risk is primarily in smokers or women with other underlying risk factors for coronary artery disease such as hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, morbid obesity, and diabetes.
The relative risk of heart attack for current oral contraceptive users has been estimated to be two to six. 4 to 10 The risk is very low in women under the age of 30. Smoking in combination with oral contraceptive use has been shown to contribute substantially to the incidence of myocardial infarction in women in their mid-thirties or older with smoking accounting for the majority of excess cases. 11 Mortality rates associated with circulatory disease have been shown to increase substantially in smokers over the age of 35 and non-smokers over the age of 40 (Table 3) among women who use oral contraceptives.
TABLE 3: CIRCULATORY DISEASE MORTALITY RATES PER 100,000 WOMAN-YEARS BY AGE, SMOKING STATUS, AND ORAL CONTRACEPTIVE USE. AGE EVER-USERS NON-SMOKERS EVER-USERS SMOKERS CONTROLS NON-SMOKERS CONTROLS SMOKERS 15 to 24 0 10.5 0 0 25 to 34 4.4 14.2 2.7 4.2 35 to 44 21.5 63.4 6.4 15.2 45+ 52.4 206.7 11.4
27.9Adapted from P.M. Layde and V.
Beral, ref. #12. Oral contraceptives may compound the effects of well-known risk factors, such as hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemias, age, and obesity. 13 In particular, some progestogens are known to decrease HDL cholesterol and cause glucose intolerance, while estrogens may create a state of hyperinsulinism. 14 to 18 Oral contraceptives have been shown to increase blood pressure among users (see section 10 in WARNINGS ).
Similar effects on risk factors have been associated with an increased risk of heart disease. Oral contraceptives must be used with caution in women with cardiovascular disease risk factors. c. Cerebrovascular diseases Oral contraceptives have been shown to increase both the relative and attributable risks of cerebrovascular events (thrombotic and hemorrhagic strokes), although, in general, the risk is greatest among older (> 35 years), hypertensive women who also smoke.
Hypertension was found to be a risk factor for both users and non-users, for both types of strokes, while smoking interacted to increase the risk for hemorrhagic strokes. 27 to 29 In a large study, the relative risk of thrombotic strokes has been shown to range from 3 for normotensive users to 14 for users with severe hypertension. 30 The relative risk of hemorrhagic stroke is reported to be 1.2 for non-smokers who used oral contraceptives, 2.6 for smokers who did not use oral contraceptives, 7.6 for smokers who used oral contraceptives, 1.8 for normotensive users, and 25.7 for users with severe hypertension. 30 The attributable risk is also greater in older women. 3 Oral contraceptives also increase the risk for stroke in women with other underlying risk factors such as certain inherited or acquired thrombophilias, hyperlipidemias, and obesity.
Women with migraine (particularly migraine with aura) who take combination oral contraceptives may be at an increased risk of stroke. d. Dose-related risk of vascular disease from oral contraceptives A positive association has been observed between the amount of estrogen and progestogen in oral contraceptives and the risk of vascular disease. 31 to 33 A decline in serum high-density lipoproteins (HDL) has been reported with many progestational agents. 14 to 16 A decline in serum high-density lipoproteins has been associated with an increased incidence of ischemic heart disease.
Because estrogens increase HDL cholesterol, the net effect of an oral contraceptive de
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Interactions
8. Drug Interactions Changes in contraceptive effectiveness associated with coadministration of other drugs : a. Anti-infective agents and anticonvulsants Contraceptive effectiveness may be reduced when hormonal contraceptives are coadministered with some antibiotics, anticonvulsants, and other drugs that increase metabolism of contraceptive steroids. This could result in unintended pregnancy or breakthrough bleeding.
Examples include barbiturates, rifampin, phenylbutazone, phenytoin, carbamazepine, felbamate, oxcarbazepine, topiramate, and griseofulvin. Since desogestrel is mainly metabolized by the cytochrome P450 2C9 enzyme (CYP 2C9) to form etonogestrel, the active progestin, there is a possibility of interaction with CYP 2C9 substrates or inhibitors (such as: ibuprofen, piroxicam, naproxen, phenytoin, fluconazole, diclofenac, tolbutamide, glipizide, celecoxib, sulfamethoxazole, isoniazid, torsemide, irbesartan, losartan, and valsartan).
The clinical relevance of these interactions is unknown. b. Anti-HIV protease inhibitors Several of the anti-HIV protease inhibitors have been studied with coadministration of oral combination hormonal contraceptives; significant changes (increase and decrease) in the plasma levels of the estrogen and progestin have been noted in some cases. The efficacy and safety of these oral contraceptive products may be affected with coadministration of anti-HIV protease inhibitors.
Healthcare providers should refer to the label of the individual anti-HIV protease inhibitors for further drug-drug interaction information. Concomitant Use with HCV Combination Therapy – Liver Enzyme Elevation Do not co-administer Velivet (desogestrel and ethinyl estradiol tablets) with HCV drug combinations containing ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir, with or without dasabuvir, due to potential for ALT elevations (see WARNINGS, Risk of Liver Enzyme Elevations with Concomitant Hepatitis C Treatment ). c.
Herbal products Herbal products containing St. John’s Wort (hypericum perforatum) may induce hepatic enzymes (cytochrome P450) and p-glycoprotein transporter and may reduce the effectiveness of contraceptive steroids. This may also result in breakthrough bleeding. Increase in plasma hormone levels associated with coadministered drugs : Coadministration of atorvastatin and certain ethinyl estradiol containing oral contraceptives increased AUC values for ethinyl estradiol by approximately 20%.
Ascorbic acid and acetaminophen may increase plasma ethinyl estradiol levels, possibly by inhibition of conjugation. CYP 3A4 inhibitors such as itraconazole or ketoconazole may increase plasma hormone levels. Changes in plasma levels of coadministered drugs : Combination hormonal contraceptives containing some synthetic estrogens (e.g., ethinyl estradiol) may inhibit the metabolism of other compounds. Increased plasma concentrations of cyclosporine, prednisolone, and theophylline have been reported with concomitant administration of oral contraceptives.
Decreased plasma concentrations of acetaminophen and increased clearance of temazepam, salicylic acid, morphine, and clofibric acid have been noted when these drugs were administered with oral contraceptives. No formal drug-drug interaction studies were conducted with Velivet.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
11. Pregnancy See CONTRAINDICATIONS and WARNINGS sections.
Adverse reactions
Post Marketing Experience Five studies that compared breast cancer risk between ever-users (current or past use) of COCs and never-users of COCs reported no association between ever use of COCs and breast cancer risk, with effect estimates ranging from 0.90 to 1.12 (Figure 1). Three studies compared breast cancer risk between current or recent COC users (<6 months since last use) and never users of COCs (Figure 1). One of these studies reported no association between breast cancer risk and COC use.
The other two studies found an increased relative risk of 1.19 to 1.33 with current or recent use. Both of these studies found an increased risk of breast cancer with current use of longer duration, with relative risks ranging from 1.03 with less than one year of COC use to approximately 1.4 with more than 8 to 10 years of COC use. Figure 1 RR = relative risk; OR = odds ratio; HR = hazard ratio. “ever COC” are females with current or past COC use; “never COC use” are females that never used COCs.
An increased risk of the following serious adverse reactions has been associated with the use of oral contraceptives (see WARNINGS section): Thrombophlebitis and venous thrombosis with or without embolism Arterial thromboembolism Pulmonary embolism Myocardial infarction Cerebral hemorrhage Cerebral thrombosis Hypertension Gallbladder disease Hepatic adenomas or benign liver tumors There is evidence of an association between the following conditions and the use of oral contraceptives: Mesenteric thrombosis Retinal thrombosis The following adverse reactions have been reported in patients receiving oral contraceptives and are believed to be drug-related: Nausea Vomiting Gastrointestinal symptoms (such as abdominal pain, cramps and bloating) Breakthrough bleeding Spotting Change in menstrual flow Amenorrhea Temporary infertility after discontinuation of treatment Edema/fluid retention Melasma/chloasma which may persist Breast changes: tenderness, pain, enlargement, and secretion Decrease in serum folate levels Exacerbation of porphyria Aggravation of varicose veins Change in weight or appetite (increase or decrease) Change in cervical ectropion and secretion Possible diminution in lactation when given immediately postpartum Cholestatic jaundice Migraine headache Rash (allergic) Mood changes, including depression Vaginitis, including candidiasis Change in corneal curvature (steepening) Intolerance to contact lenses Exacerbation of systemic lupus erythematosus Exacerbation of chorea Anaphylactic/anaphylactoid reactions, including urticaria, angioedema, and severe reactions with respiratory and circulatory symptoms The following adverse reactions have been reported in users of oral contraceptives and the association has been neither confirmed nor refuted: Pre-menstrual syndrome Cataracts Cystitis-like syndrome Headache Nervousness Dizziness Hirsutism Loss of scalp hair Erythema multiforme Dysmenorrhea Pancreatitis Erythema nodosum Hemorrhagic eruption Impaired renal function Hemolytic uremic syndrome Acne Changes in libido Colitis Budd-Chiari Syndrome Optic neuritis, which may lead to partial or complete loss of vision 1
Prognia shows this product information for reference and learning. It is not treatment advice and can lag behind the official text. Always check the current product information and local protocols before prescribing.
