THURSDAY, Sept. 29, 2005 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the Berlex Inc.
drug Angeliq (drospirenone and estradiol) as a form of
hormone-replacement therapy for moderate-to-severe menopausal symptoms,
according to a company statement issued Thursday.
The active ingredient drospirenone, already found in the company's
Yasmin oral contraceptive approved in 2001, acts as a mild diuretic,
the company said. Berlex said it is studying whether it could help
reduce blood pressure in menopausal women with hypertension.
The estrogen component is estradiol, the same estrogen produced by the ovaries prior to menopause, the company said.
Women with liver, kidney or adrenal disease shouldn't take Angeliq,
and patients on drugs that increase body levels of potassium should ask
their doctor before beginning Angeliq, Berlex said.
Since 2002, when a major U.S. study found that women taking HRT had
a higher incidence of heart attacks, strokes, blood clots and breast
cancer, doctors have been asked to prescribe drugs containing estrogen
at the lowest effective doses and for the shortest duration possible.
Estrogen therapy shouldn't be used by women with undiagnosed abnormal
vaginal bleeding or a suspected or known history of breast cancer,
Berlex said.
To learn more about hormone replacement therapy, visit Medline Plus.
