.- The U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA) issued its approval of a spearmint-flavored chewable contraceptive tablet Nov. 14.
Ovcon 35 contains a progestin (norethindrone) and an estrogen (ethinyl estradiol) found birth-control pills that are already on the market. The new drug then is abortifacient and carries the same side effects as other oral contraceptives, including an increased risk of blood clots, heart attack, stroke, breast and cervical cancer.
The product is manufactured by Bristol Myers Squibb Company and will be marketed by Warner Chilcott, Inc.
Gillian Long, the youth director of Campaign Life Coalition objects to the drug and says the new chewables are obviously aimed at youth, the same way that chewable multi-vitamins are geared toward children, except these are much more dangerous.
“And here we are, marketing it to young girls and handing it out as though it were, literally, candy,” she said. “It may prove to be the most dangerous candy ever."
