Diane-35 acne drug banned after 15 women die using it as birth control

Wednesday, France banned the sale of an acne drug that has been used as a birth control pill and was linked to the death of four women. In Canada, the death of 11 women has been linked to the acne drug, and over 200 women have reported health issues after using the drug.

The pill is called Diane-35 and the newly formed French National Agency of Medicine and Health Products Safety (still called the ANSM) said that it has been prescribed to approximately 315,000 women in France. The sale of Diane-35 has been suspended because the drug was created as an acne drug, but doctors were prescribing it as a birth control pill because it stopped ovulation. Diane-35 is made by Bayer. And Wikipedia reports that it has also been prescribed to help with hot flashes in women.

Wednesday, Dominique Maraninchi, Bayer's director said in a press conference:

"This drug is not licensed for use as a contraceptive.

But it is being used as such, in this secondary role.

Yet there are plenty of other alternative contraceptives that can be used in this country."

According to the ANSM, Diane-35 is currently sold in 116 countries. The four deaths of the women in France have occurred over the last 25 years, and 125 women have become ill from blood clots which are believed to be related to the drug.

Thursday, officials in Canada reported that 11 women have died in connection with Diane-35, according to the Toronto Star, and four of those were teenagers.

Diane-35 is not legal in the United States, according to Wikipedia.

(Published by Examiner - January 31, 2013)