Monthly Injection Can Prevent Pregnancy

W A S H I N G T O N, Oct. 6 -- Preventing pregnancy is now as easy as getting a once-a-month shot in the arm.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new product called Lunelle, made by Pharmacia Corp. of Peapack, N.J., which the firm says is 99 percent effective when used as directed.

The shots must be administered by a healthcare provider and women cannot go longer than 33 daysbetween shots, or they will need a pregnancy test before the nextinjection.

Lunelle is an alternative to another injectable contraceptivecalled Depo-Provera that lasts three months. Like many birthcontrol pills, it works through a combination of the hormonesprogestin and estrogen.

Lunelle should be on the market by the end of the year, and cost$30 to $37 a shot, Pharmacia spokeswoman Kristin Elliott said.

Prevents Pregnancies Effectively Lunelle was approved based on data from a clinical study of1,103 women at 42 sites in the United States. The study comparedpatients taking Lunelle to those on Ortho-Novum 7/7/7, a commonbirth control pill.

The 783 women taking Lunelle had no unintended pregnancies,though there were two among the 321 women using the oralcontraceptive after 15 cycles of use.

Women taking the contraceptive injection still have monthlymenstrual cycles. There also is a quick return to ovulation,usually within two to four months, Pharmacia said. More than 50percent of users became pregnant within six months of quittingLunelle.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.