New birth control patch available in January

By Melissa Jameson

A new form of birth control will be available to Canadian women by prescription in the New Year and has many women excited about reducing the risk of forgetting their birth control.

Health Canada has approved a new form of birth control known as Evra to be released in January.

Evra works similarly to smoking cessation patches, as it releases medication to the body via the skin and into the bloodstream.

Evra, also known as "the patch," contains progestin and estrogen, two ingredients also found in birth control pills.

Canada is the second country to allow women to use the patch. It will be manufactured by Janssen-Ortho Inc. According to Statistics Canada, more than 5.5 million women of childbearing age in Canada use some form of birth control.

"Evra offers…an effective method of birth control that is simple and easy to use, " said Dr. Fay Weisberg, assistant professor in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Toronto. "…It’s great to be able to offer a new birth control method that fits in with women’s busy lifestyles."

Maggie Schneider, a registered nurse at Vernon Jubilee Hospital, said many women will find the patch beneficial.

"A lot of women are on birth control to prevent unwanted pregnancies, but forget to take their pill sometimes. This would remove that risk."

However, she does have some concerns. "In a few years, they may find side effects attached to it that they didn’t anticipate that they’ll have to modify."

Jennifer Ellis, the public health nurse for Kamloops, said she hadn’t received any information about the patch, but, "it would be a good idea for women who forget to take the pill."

Sophie Bujold of Kamloops said she would use the patch if she wasn’t already on an alternate form of birth control. "I think it’s great for women who are unable to take the pill or might not be too thrilled about getting a shot," she said. She also noted that the idea of not having an everyday remembrance would be beneficial.

The patch can be worn on the buttocks, upper outer arm, abdomen, back or stomach. The patch is changed once a week for three weeks and no patch is worn on the fourth week to allow for menstruation. If the patch comes off for any reason women can still continue with their regular birth control cycle as long as the patch is replaced within a 24-hour period.

Evra was first released in the United States and is manufactured there by Ortho-Mcneil Pharmaceutical. In clinical trials it was found that only two percent of women had to remove the patch because of skin irritation.