Implanon contraceptive is a hormone filled tube which is inserted beneath the skin in the upper forearm. This device steadily liberates the female hormone known as progestogen to avoid pregnancy for up to three years. But this implant has come under scanner after hundreds of women get pregnant after the long standing device failed to be inserted correctly.
The device was developed by Merck and Co. and was first sanctioned in 1999 and since then more than one millions implants were sold. About six hundred women in Britain made complaint to medical watchdog that they have become pregnant in spite of using Implannon implant fixed in their arms.
The MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare Products regulatory Agency) told that it had received more than fifteen hundred complaints of unfavorable side effects like pain and blemish associated with Implanon implant. Several women reported unwanted pregnancy. The agency also suggests women to check whether they can feel the device after implantation.
There has been news of problems with inserting and removing Implanon. In some women who have had an unintentional pregnancy, Implanon was found not to have been inserted at all. These issues have been kept under close review, according a statement by MHRA.
MSD is confident in the effectiveness and safety of Implanon implant. MSD heartens women to speak with their health-care providers if they have any questions regarding contraceptive alternatives and to report any unfavorable incidents related with any MSD medication, explained a spokesman for the New Jersey bases manufacturer of the Implanon.
Since its first authorization in September 1999, more than 1.3 million units have been prescribed in the U.K. Implanon is more than ninety percent effective, added the spokesperson, reported the study published in Wall Street Journal.