[A year after the hearings on Depo-Provera (DP)…]

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A year after the hearings on Depo-Provera (DP), the government has finally released the panel's report, and Health Minister Kenneth Clarke has granted a long-term license for this contraceptive, albeit with certain restrictions.

DP is a long-acting injectable contraceptive. One injection lasts three months, so it is much easier to use than the contraceptive pill, which must be taken daily without fail to be effective.

However, many women experienced unacceptable side-effects, such as increased bleeding, which could not be counteracted for up to three months or more.

It also came to light that many women were being given DP in conditions where they could not possibly give their informed consent to the treatment, including without their knowledge.

A campaign against DP these and other grounds led last year to the Minister over-ruling the Committee on the Safety of Medicines and suspending DP's license.

Upjohn Ltd, manufacturers of DP, requested a public hearing to put their case for a license to a panel of experts who have just now published their findings.

The Co-ordinating Group on Depo-Provera (CGDP) immediately issued a press release commenting on the panel's report. The panel recognised the severity of some side-effects. It recognised the difficulty of obtaining informed consent and it also recognised the unsatisfactory nature of much of the research into DP's long-term effects.

Despite this, the panel concluded long-term use would be all right for women who found other methods unsuitable and who were capable of understanding and accepting the risks of DP.

In turn, Upjohn have accepted the need for research into the long-term effects of DP and will produce an information leaflet for doctors to give to patients.

CGDP points out the inadequacy of the steps for informing potential users of DP. The leaflet may not be in a language spoken by the patient. The doctor may not even give the leaflet out or may have too little time to discuss the drug with the patient. CGDP says that the decision to grant a long-term license is contradictory, when research into long-term effects of DP has not been done.

Only recently has evidence come up about a link between progesterone and cancer and yet DP is made of progesterone.

rinally, the pane acknowledges that DP is passed on to babies in breast milk, but recommends only that DP not be used for six weeks after birth.

CGDP does not wish to ban DP but they are very worried about the implications of a longterm license in Britain. This will be presented to Third World governments as a clean bil of health for DP, resulting in a threat to women's health throughout the world.

CGDP can be contacted through the Women's Health Information Centre (WHIC), 12 Ufton Road, London N1 (01 254 9094).