Almost 1 Million Acts of Unprotected Sex Take Place in the U.S. Each Night
Women Need to Take Control and Act Quickly
NEW YORK, Ny., November 11, 2010 - Behind this statistic lies one of the best kept secrets in women’s health. Plan B One-Step™ (levonorgestrel) tablet, 1.5mg, the only one-pill FDA- approved emergency contraception available without a prescription to those 17 and older is available nationwide, yet studies show that many women are still unaware or lack an understanding of how Plan B One-Step™ works and when to use it.
“Plan B One-Step™ is making a difference, but there is still confusion among women about emergency contraception,” said Anne Davis, MD Assistant Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University Medical Center. “Waiting to take emergency contraception should not be an option because the sooner you take it, the better it works.”
Consisting of one tablet containing 1.5 mg of levonorgestrel, an active contraceptive ingredient in many birth control pills, Plan B One-Step™ works as do other oral contraceptives – by preventing ovulation or fertilization. It’s important to know that, Plan B One-Step™ will not work if a woman is already pregnant.
Plan B One-Step™ should be taken within 72 hours (3 days) of intercourse. When taken as directed, Plan B One-Step™ has been shown to reduce the risk of pregnancy by 84 percent.
“Overall, it has been estimated that the widespread use of emergency contraception in the United States could prevent 1.7 million unintended pregnancies each year,” added Dr. Davis.
How to Prevent Pregnancy After Intercourse
It is possible to prevent pregnancy after intercourse because conception can occur several days after sexual activity. Plan B One-Step™ will not work if a woman is already pregnant. There is no evidence that it will harm a pregnant woman or a developing fetus.
Important Safety Information
Plan B One-Step™ (levonorgestrel) is intended to prevent pregnancy after known or suspected contraceptive failure or unprotected intercourse.
Plan B One-Step™ isn't effective if you're already pregnant, and it won't terminate an existing pregnancy. Plan B One-Step™ does not protect against HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Side effects may include changes in your period, nausea, lower abdominal pain, fatigue, headache, and dizziness. If your period is more than a week late, you may be pregnant. You should not take Plan B One-Step™ if you are already pregnant. Plan B One-Step™ should not be used as a routine birth control, as it is not as effective. If you have severe abdominal pain, you may have an ectopic pregnancy, and should get immediate medical help.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA at fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088. Please see full product information enclosed. Important product information is available on www.PlanBOneStep.com, by calling 1-800-330-1271, or by speaking to your pharmacist.
Plan B One-Step™ is a trademark of Women’s Capital Corporation.
©2010 Teva Women’s Health, Inc.
About Teva Women’s Health, Inc.
Teva Women’s Health, Inc., which develops and markets proprietary pharmaceutical products in North America, focuses primarily on products for women and emphasizes the development and marketing of products for reproductive and menopausal needs. Teva Women’s Health, Inc. is a subsidiary of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NASDAQ: TEVA) Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., headquartered in Israel, is among the top 15 pharmaceutical companies in the world and is the leading generic pharmaceutical company. The company develops, manufactures and markets generic and innovative pharmaceuticals and active pharmaceutical ingredients. Over 80 percent of Teva's sales are in North America and Western Europe.
Teva's Safe Harbor Statement under the U. S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995:
This release contains forward-looking statements, which express the current beliefs and expectations of management. Such statements are based on management's current beliefs and expectations and involve a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause our future results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from the results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include risks relating to: our ability to successfully develop and commercialize additional pharmaceutical products, the introduction of competing generic equivalents, the extent to which we may obtain U.S. market exclusivity for certain of our new generic products and regulatory changes that may prevent us from utilizing exclusivity periods, potential liability for sales of generic products prior to a final resolution of outstanding patent litigation, including that relating to the generic versions of Neurontin®, Lotrel®, Protonix® and Yaz®, the extent to which any manufacturing or quality control problems damage our reputation for high quality production, the effects of competition on sales of our innovative products, especially Copaxone® (including potential generic and oral competition for Copaxone®), the impact of continuing consolidation of our distributors and customers, our ability to identify, consummate and successfully integrate acquisitions (including the acquisition of ratiopharm), interruptions in our supply chain or problems with our information technology systems that adversely affect our complex manufacturing processes, intense competition in our specialty pharmaceutical businesses, any failures to comply with the complex Medicare and Medicaid reporting and payment obligations, our exposure to currency fluctuations and restrictions as well as credit risks, the effects of reforms in healthcare regulation, adverse effects of political or economical instability, major hostilities or acts of terrorism on our significant worldwide operations, increased government scrutiny in both the U.S. and Europe of our agreements with brand companies, dependence on the effectiveness of our patents and other protections for innovative products, our ability to achieve expected results through our innovative R&D efforts, the difficulty of predicting U.S. Food and Drug Administration, European Medicines Agency and other regulatory authority approvals, uncertainties surrounding the legislative and regulatory pathway for the registration and approval of biotechnology-based products, potentially significant impairments of intangible assets and goodwill, potential increases in tax liabilities resulting from challenges to our intercompany arrangements, our potential exposure to product liability claims to the extent not covered by insurance, the termination or expiration of governmental programs or tax benefits, current economic conditions, any failure to retain key personnel or to attract additional executive and managerial talent, environmental risks and other factors that are discussed in this report and in our other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC").
PLB-CSI-335/102525
Contacts:
Denise Bradley, Teva North America
215-591-8974
denise.bradley@tevausa.com