The Hindu : 'Side-effects keep women off injectable contraceptive'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Sep 27, 2002

National

National

'Side-effects keep women off injectable contraceptive'

By Gargi Parsai

New Delhi Sept. 26. The controversial injectable contraceptive for women, Depo Provera, which is officially not included in the National Family Welfare programme, is back in the news.

It is `unofficially' being made available to women free by the multi-national Pharmacia and UpJohn Company.

A resource group for women and health, Sama, which conducted a study on women who had been administered the injectable, has demanded its withdrawal till further trials are carried out on its side-effects, as they turned women away.

Women are administered the injectable, under the social marketing scheme of the Government, to give them an "informed choice''.

The `go-slow' is to test the reaction of women's groups, which have opposed the contraceptive on the basis that it had not been clinically tested for safety and efficacy.

The permission for social marketing was given on the condition that the phases III and IV clinical trials would be undertaken.

The short-term study, done mainly at the Deen Dayal Upadhaya Hospital covered 52 women in the 20-40 age group, comprising illiterates to postgraduates, was undertaken between October 1999 and June 2000.

Looking at the short-term risks, the study revealed that women were administered the injectable contraceptive without requisite screening.

Further, the free dosage did not continue for the second time and women from `bastis' pulled out, unable to afford the high cost of Rs. 150 a vial.

The side-effects — such as excessive bleeding or lack of bleeding, headache, hair-loss, dizziness, nausea, exhaustion, breast swelling and tenderness, nervousness, depression, obesity and lack of sexual desire — were usually overlooked.

Further, women were not screened for pregnancy and even lactating mothers were encouraged to go in for the contraceptive.

As such, no clinical trials have been carried on the effect of these hormone injections on progeny.

Women's groups have for long expressed apprehension about cancer being a long-term side effect of the injectable contraceptive, besides the possibility of contracting HIV from use of syringes.

Demanding discontinuation of the contraceptive, Sarojini of Sama said the Government should clearly state the `status' of `injectables'.

She said that the study showed that health delivery system was "grossly inadequate'' to meet the minimum infrastructure requirements needed for administering the injectable contraceptive.

"If this is the situation in a city, then it can be imagined how it would be in villages and small towns.''

The NGO said an in-depth long-term study should be done to assess the impact of the contraceptive on women health and progeny and charged that post-market surveillance could not be left to multinational companies, which wanted to promote and market the product.

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