Safety, efficacy and patient acceptability of the combined estrogen and progestin transdermal contraceptive patch: a review

Abstract

The worldwide introduction of the first, unique patch for hormonal contraception (ethinyl estradiol/norelgestromin, EE/NGMN patch) was widely recognized as a significant event in the development of drug delivery systems. This innovation offers a number of advantages over the oral route, and extensive clinical trials have proved its safety, efficacy, effectiveness, and tolerability. The weekly administration and ease of use/simplicity of the EE/NGMN patch contribute to its acceptability, and help to resolve the two main problems of non-adherence, namely early discontinuation and inconsistent use. The patch offers additional benefits to adolescents (improvement of dysmenorrhea and acne), adults (improvement in emotional and physical well-being, premenstrual syndrome, and menstrual irregularities), and perimenopausal women (correction of hormonal imbalance, modulation of premenopausal symptoms), thus providing high satisfaction rates (in nearly 90% of users). Since its introduction, the transdermal contraceptive patch has proved to be a useful choice for women who seek a convenient formulation which is easy to use, with additional, non-contraceptive tailored benefits for all the ages.

Keywords: hormonal contraceptive; patient adherence; patient satisfaction; transdermal.

Figure 1

Age-specific pregnancy rates for oral contraceptives and patch calculated in real life conditions (From data of Sonnenberg et al 2005).

Figure 2

Most common adverse events in the three pooled contraceptive studies with the patch (From data of Sibai et al 2002).

Figure 3

Percentage of cycles with perfect adherence, by age group. Comparison between patch and oral contraceptive users (From data of Archer et al 2004).