WARNINGS
Included as part of the PRECAUTIONS section.
PRECAUTIONS
Thrombotic And Other Vascular Events
Stop Jaimiess if an arterial or deep venous thrombotic
event occurs. Although the use of COCs increases the risk of venous
thromboembolism, pregnancy increases the risk of venous thromboembolism as much
or more than the use of COCs. The risk of venous thromboembolism in women using
COCs is 3 to 9 per 10,000 woman-years. The excess risk is highest during the
first year of use of a COC. Use of COCs also increases the risk of arterial
thromboses such as strokes and myocardial infarctions, especially in women with
other risk factors for these events. The risk of thromboembolic disease due to
COCs gradually disappears after COC use is discontinued.
Use of Jaimiess provides women with more hormonal
exposure on a yearly basis than conventional monthly oral contraceptives
containing the same strength synthetic estrogens and progestins (an additional
9 and 13 weeks of exposure to progestin and estrogen, respectively, per year).
If feasible, stop Jaimiess at least 4 weeks before and
through 2 weeks after major surgery or other surgeries known to have an
elevated risk of thromboembolism.
Start Jaimiess no earlier than 4 to 6 weeks after
delivery, in women who are not breastfeeding. The risk of postpartum
thromboembolism decreases after the third postpartum week, whereas the risk of ovulation
increases after the third postpartum week.
COCs have been shown to increase both the relative and
attributable risks of cerebrovascular events (thrombotic and hemorrhagic
strokes), although, in general, the risk is greatest among older (>35 years of
age), and hypertensive women who also smoke. COCs also increase the risk for
stroke in women with other underlying risk factors.
Oral contraceptives must be used with caution in women
with cardiovascular disease risk factors.
Stop Jaimiess if there is unexplained loss of vision,
proptosis, diplopia, papilledema, or retinal vascular lesions. Evaluate for
retinal vein thrombosis immediately.
Carcinoma Of The Breast And Cervix
Women who currently have or have had breast cancer should
not use Jaimiess because breast cancer may be hormonally sensitive.
There is substantial evidence that COCs do not increase
the incidence of breast cancer. Although some past studies have suggested that
COCs might increase the incidence of breast cancer, more recent studies have
not confirmed such findings.
Some studies suggest that COCs are associated with an
increase in the risk of cervical cancer or intraepithelial neoplasia. However,
there is controversy about the extent to which these findings are due to
differences in sexual behavior and other factors.
Liver Disease
Discontinue Jaimiess if jaundice develops. Steroid
hormones may be poorly metabolized in patients with impaired liver function.
Acute or chronic disturbances of liver function may necessitate the discontinuation
of COC use until markers of liver function return to normal and COC causation
has been excluded.
Hepatic adenomas are associated with COC use. An estimate
of the attributable risk is 3.3 cases/100,000 COC users. Rupture of hepatic
adenomas may cause death through intra-abdominal hemorrhage.
Studies have shown an increased risk of developing
hepatocellular carcinoma in long-term (> 8 years) COC users. However, the
attributable risk of liver cancers in COC users is less than one case per million
users.
Oral contraceptive-related cholestasis may occur in women
with a history of pregnancy-related cholestasis. Women with a history of
COC-related cholestasis may have the condition recur with subsequent COC use.
Risk Of Liver Enzyme Elevations With Concomitant
Hepatitis C Treatment
During clinical trials with the Hepatitis C combination
drug regimen that containsobmitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir, with or without
dasabuvir, ALT elevations greater than 5 times theupper limit of normal (ULN),
including some cases greater than 20 times the ULN, weresignificantly more
frequent in women using ethinyl estradiol-containing medications, such as COCs.
Discontinue Jaimiess prior to starting therapy with the combination drug
regimenombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir, with or without dasabuvir [see
CONTRAINDICATIONS].Jaimiess can be restarted approximately 2 weeks
following completion of treatment with theHepatitis C combination drug regimen.
High Blood Pressure
For women with well-controlled hypertension, monitor
blood pressure and stop Jaimiess if blood pressure rises significantly. Women
with uncontrolled hypertension or hypertension with vascular disease should not
use COCs.
An increase in blood pressure has been reported in women
taking COCs, and this increase is more likely in older women and with extended
duration of use. The incidence of hypertension increases with increasing
concentration of progestin.
Gallbladder Disease
Studies suggest a small increased relative risk of
developing gallbladder disease among COC users.
Carbohydrate And Lipid Metabolic Effects
Carefully monitor prediabetic and diabetic women who are
taking Jaimiess. COCs may decrease glucose tolerance in a dose-related fashion.
Consider alternative contraception for women with
uncontrolled dyslipidemias. A small proportion of women will have adverse lipid
changes while on COCs.
Women with hypertriglyceridemia, or a family history
thereof, may be at an increased risk of pancreatitis when using COCs.
Headache
If a woman taking Jaimiess develops new headaches that
are recurrent, persistent, or severe, evaluate the cause and discontinue
Jaimiess if indicated.
An increase in frequency or severity of migraine during
COC use (which may be prodromal of a cerebrovascular event) may be a reason for
immediate discontinuation of the COC.
Bleeding Irregularities
Unscheduled (breakthrough) bleeding and spotting
sometimes occur in patients on COCs, especially during the first 3 months of
use. If bleeding persists, check for causes such as pregnancy or malignancy. If
pathology and pregnancy are excluded, bleeding irregularities may resolve over
time or with a change to a different COC.
When prescribing Jaimiess, the convenience of fewer
planned menses (4 per year instead of 13 per year) should be weighed against
the inconvenience of increased unscheduled bleeding and/or spotting. The
primary clinical trial (PSE-301) that evaluated the efficacy of
levonorgestrel/ethinyl estradiol and ethinyl estradiol also assessed
unscheduled bleeding. The participants in the 12-month clinical trial (N=1,006)
completed the equivalent of 8,681 28-day cycles of exposure and were composed
primarily of women who had used oral contraceptives previously (89%) as opposed
to new users (11%). A total of 82 (8.2%) of the women discontinued
levonorgestrel/ethinyl estradiol and ethinyl estradiol, at least in part, due
to bleeding or spotting.
Scheduled (withdrawal) bleeding and/or spotting remained
fairly constant over time, with an average of 3 days of bleeding and/or
spotting per each 91-day cycle. Unscheduled bleeding and unscheduled spotting
decreased over successive 91-day cycles. Table 1 below presents the number of
days with unscheduled bleeding in treatment cycles 1 and 4. Table 2 presents
the number of days with unscheduled spotting in treatment cycles 1 and 4.
Table 1: Total Number of Days with Unscheduled
Bleeding
91-Day Treatment Cycle |
Days per 84-Day Interval |
Days per 28-Day Interval |
Q1 |
Median |
Q3 |
Mean |
Mean |
1st |
1 |
4 |
10 |
6.9 |
1.7 |
4th |
0 |
1 |
4 |
3.2 |
0.8 |
Q1=Quartile 1: 25% of women had ≤ this number of
days of unscheduled bleeding Median: 50% of women had ≤ this number of
days of unscheduled bleeding Q3=Quartile 3: 75% of women had ≤ this
number of days of unscheduled bleeding |
Table 2: Total Number of Days with Unscheduled Spotting
91-Day Treatment Cycle |
Days per 84-Day Interval |
Days per 28-Day Interval |
Q1 |
Median |
Q3 |
Mean |
Mean |
1st |
1 |
4 |
11 |
7.4 |
1.9 |
4th |
0 |
2 |
7 |
4.4 |
1.1 |
Q1=Quartile 1: 25% of women had ≤ this number of
days of unscheduled spotting Median: 50% of women had ≤ this number of
days of unscheduled spotting Q3=Quartile 3: 75% of women had ≤ this
number of days of unscheduled spotting. |
Figure 1 shows the percentage of levonorgestrel/ethinyl
estradiol and ethinyl estradiol subjects participating in trial PSE-301 with
≥ 7 days or ≥ 20 days of unscheduled bleeding and/or spotting, or only
unscheduled bleeding, during each 91-day treatment cycle.
Figure 1: Percent of Women Taking Levonorges
trel/Ethinyl Es tradiol and Ethinyl Es tradiol who Reported Uns cheduled
Bleeding and/or Spotting or only Uns cheduled Bleeding
Amenorrhea sometimes occurs in women who are using COCs.
Pregnancy should be ruled out in the event of amenorrhea. Some women may
encounter amenorrhea or oligomenorrhea after stopping COCs, especially when
such a condition was pre-existent.
COC Use Before Or During Early Pregnancy
Extensive epidemiological studies have revealed no
increased risk of birth defects in women who have used oral contraceptives
prior to pregnancy. Studies also do not suggest a teratogenic effect, particularly
in so far as cardiac anomalies and limb-reduction defects are concerned, when
taken inadvertently during early pregnancy. Oral contraceptive use should be
discontinued if pregnancy is confirmed.
The administration of oral contraceptives to induce
withdrawal bleeding should not be used as a test for pregnancy [see USE IN
SPECIFIC POPULATIONS].
Emotional Disorders
Women with a history of depression should be carefully
observed and Jaimiess discontinued if depression recurs to a serious degree.
Interference With Laboratory Tests
The use of COCs may change the results of some laboratory
tests, such as coagulation factors, lipids, glucose tolerance, and binding
proteins. Women on thyroid hormone replacement therapy may need increased doses
of thyroid hormone because serum concentrations of thyroid binding globulin
increase with use of COCs.
Monitoring
A woman who is taking COCs should have a yearly visit
with her healthcare provider for a blood pressure check and for other indicated
health care.
Other Conditions
In women with hereditary angioedema, exogenous estrogens
may induce or exacerbate symptoms of angioedema. Chloasma may occasionally
occur, especially in women with a history of chloasma gravidarum. Women with a
tendency to chloasma should avoid exposure to the sun or ultraviolet radiation
while taking COCs.
Patient Counseling Information
See FDA- Approved Patient Labeling
- Counsel patients that cigarette smoking increases the
risk of serious cardiovascular events from COC use, and that women who are over
35 years old and smoke should not use COCs.
- Counsel patients that this product does not protect
against HIV-infection (AIDS) and other sexually transmitted diseases.
- Counsel patients on Warnings and Precautions associated
with COCs.
- Counsel patients to take one tablet daily by mouth at the
same time every day. Instruct patients what to do in the event pills are
missed. See WHAT TO DO IF YOU MISS PILLS section of FDA-Approved Patient
Labeling.
- Counsel patients to use a back-up or alternative method
of contraception when enzyme inducers are used with COCs.
- Counsel patients who are breastfeeding or who desire to
breastfeed that COCs may reduce breast milk production. This is less likely to
occur if breastfeeding is well established.
- Counsel any patient who starts COCs postpartum, and who
has not yet had a period, to use an additional method of contraception until
she has taken a light blue-green tablet for 7 consecutive days.
- Counsel patients that amenorrhea may occur. Pregnancy
should be considered in the event of amenorrhea, and should be ruled out if
amenorrhea is associated with symptoms of pregnancy, such as morning sickness
or unusual breast tenderness.
Nonclinical Toxicology
Carcinogenesis, Mutagenesis, Impairment Of Fertility
[See WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS].
Use In Specific Populations
Pregnancy
There is little or no increased risk of birth defects in
women who inadvertently use COCs during early pregnancy. Epidemiologic studies
and meta-analyses have not found an increased risk of genital or nongenital birth
defects (including cardiac anomalies and limb-reduction defects) following
exposure to low dose COCs prior to conception or during early pregnancy.
The administration of COCs to induce withdrawal bleeding
should not be used as a test for pregnancy. COCs should not be used during
pregnancy to treat threatened or habitual abortion.
Women who do not breastfeed may start COCs no earlier
than four to six weeks postpartum.
Nursing Mothers
When possible, advise the nursing mother to use other
forms of contraception until she has weaned her child. Estrogen-containing COCs
can reduce milk production in breastfeeding mothers. This is less likely to
occur once breastfeeding is well established; however, it can occur at any time
in some women. Small amounts of oral contraceptive steroids and/or metabolites
are present in breast milk.
Pediatric Use
Safety and efficacy of Jaimiess have been established in
women of reproductive age. Safety and efficacy are expected to be the same for
postpubertal adolescents under the age of 18 as for users 18 years and older.
Use of Jaimiess before menarche is not indicated.
Geriatric Use
Jaimiess has not been studied in women who have reached
menopause and is not indicated in this population.
Hepatic Impairment
No studies have been conducted to evaluate the effect of
hepatic disease on the disposition ofJaimiess. However, steroid hormones may be
poorly metabolized in patients with impaired liver function. Acute or chronic
disturbances of liver function may necessitate the discontinuation of COC use
until markers of liver function return to normal. [See CONTRAINDICATIONS
 and WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS].
Renal Impairment
No studies have been conducted to evaluate the effect of
renal disease on the disposition of Jaimiess.