The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States of America recently approved a spearmint-flavoured chewable version of Northern Ireland-based Galen Holding oral contraceptive Ovcon 35.

The pill is the first chewable oral contraceptive pill for women, according to an FDA release. The chewable pills contain progestin and estrogen the same hormones used in standard birth control
pills. The pills will be available in a 28-day regimen with 21 white tablets containing norethindrone and ethinyl estradiol and seven green placebo pills that induce a menstrual period.

Women will be able to chew the pills or swallow them whole; women who chew the pills must drink an eight-ounce glass of water afterward to ensure that the full dose reaches their stomachs. The chewable version of Ovcon 35 has similar side effects as other birth control pills, such as an increased risk of blood clots, heart attack and stroke.

(Source: Kaiser Daily Health Report, 17 November)