Birth control patch as effective as oral therapy. (Better Compliance).

ORLANDO, FLA. -- A birth control patch recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration shows similar efficacy to the oral contraceptive pill and better patient compliance, according to several studies sponsored by the patch's manufacturer.

The studies, which focused on the efficacy adhesion, compliance, and weight gain associated with the Ortho Evra patch, were presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

"We found it provides excellent efficacy, with an estimate of probability of pregnancy [failure rate] of 0.8%," reported Dr. Miriam Zieman from Emory University, Atlanta, lead investigator in one of the studies.

The Ortho Evra transdermal patch, manufactured by Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical Inc., is designed to deliver 7 days' worth of continuous progestin and estrogen (norelgestromin 150 [micro]g/day and ethinyl estradiol 20 [micro]g/day) through the skin and into the bloodstream.

Dr. Zieman's study measured the patch's efficacy in 3,319 women, aged 18-45 years, who were treated for up to 13 cycles, for a total of 22,155 cycles.

A cycle consisted of three consecutive 7-day patches followed by 1 patch-free week.

There were 15 pregnancies that occurred during contraceptive treatment, 5 of which were in women weighing at least 198 lbs.