Public Citizen is petitioning the FDA to immediately ban so-called third-generation oral contraceptives that contain desogestrel. The advocacy group argues the pills “almost double the risk of life-threatening blood clots” compared with older pills.

The group maintains that American women filled more than 7.5 million prescriptions for this group of pills between November 2005 to October 2006, and says that a ban could save “hundreds of women a year” from developing venous thrombosis, or blood clots

“The FDA has known since 1995 that these oral contraceptives were more dangerous but has allowed them to stay on the market for 12 years,” charged Public Citizen’s Sid Wolfe in a statement this morning. You can see the petition and a video about the issue here.

According to Public Citizen, the pills containing desogestrel include: Desogestrel, Ethinyl Estradiol, Desogen, Velivet, Kariva, Mircette, Apri-28, Ortho-Cept, Reclipsen and Cyclessa. The manufacturers include Duramed, Barr, Watson, Organon and Ortho-McNeil.

[tags]Birth Control, Oral Contraceptives, Public Citizen[/tags]