WYETH-AYERST OFFERS LOW-DOSE BIRTH CONTROL PILL
By Adnews Staff
Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories of Toronto introduced a new low-dose birth control pill this week that it says minimizes the side effects commonly associated with oral contraceptives. Called Alesse, the pill has been proven to be 99% effective and has relatively fewer side effects, especially for healthy women who do not smoke. Alesse is taken in one of two dosage regimens. The 21 tablets regimen consists of 21 days on the medication and seven days without the medication. The 28 tablet regimen consists of 21 days on the medication and seven days of inactive pills. Wyeth-Ayerst will promote Alesse using ads in medical journals. Advertising for Wyeth-Ayerst is done by Palmer Jarvis DDB Canada of Toronto. The company hasn't decided yet how it will promote the drug to consumers. Wyeth-Ayerst says studies have shown that women stop taking birth control pills because of the side effects, such as weight gain and acne, associated with it. In clinical trials, less than 1% of the participants discontinued using Alesse due to side effects.