An acne pill banned in parts of Europe has been linked to the deaths of seven British women.
Dianette is still prescribed to thousands of women in the UK for severe skin conditions. Yet an investigation has been launched in France after four women who took it died.
The latest data from the UK’s medicines regulator reveals that during the past three years, seven women in the UK have died while taking the drug, and there have been 83 reports of suspected side effects such as depression and hair loss.
Dianette, which is prescribed only to women because of the hormones it contains, is known to increase the risk of blood clots. However, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has insisted it has ‘no new concerns’ and that women should continue taking it.
Six of the deaths were attributed to blood clots or other vein blockages and one was as a result of a fall. None of the deaths or side effects has been directly attributed to the drug, but all have been reported to the MHRA through its ‘yellow card’ scheme, which allows doctors and patients to record suspected drug reactions.
Last month, regulators in France, where the pill is also prescribed as a contraceptive, announced they were suspending the use of Dianette after data linked it to the deaths. The European Medicines Agency, which regulates medicines across Europe, has also launched a review of its safety.
Charlotte Porter, 17, died in March 2010 of a deep-vein thrombosis after taking Dianette for acne.
Dianette: Women taking a contraceptive pill are more likely to develop blood clots
But an inquest was told that Charlotte, from Allington, near Maidstone, Kent, may have already had an undiagnosed blood clot before it was prescribed.
Charity shop worker Helen Schofield, 33, died of a blood clot three weeks after starting to take Dianette in 2008. The coroner said there was a ‘pronounced link’ between the drug and her death.
Doctors in the UK are advised against prescribing the drug as a contraceptive because of research that linked it to a seven-fold increase in the risk of developing blood clots.
An MHRA spokesman said: ‘Dianette is an effective medicine for treating the distressing conditions of severe acne and excessive hair.
‘Despite recent developments in France, we have no new concerns.’
German manufacturer Bayer said: ‘Bayer believes that Dianette has a favourable benefit-risk profile when used in accordance with the label.’
regardless, people shouldn,t be so vain,if you have spots, tuf,thats life, get on with it, no spots your lucky, teenage spots, huh, mine were all on my bum, i couldn,t tell mum,lol