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  • Cerazette
    / MSD


    Active Ingredient
    Desogestrel 0.075 mg

    Status in Israel
    RX

    Presentation and Status in Health Basket

    Presentation Basket Yarpa Pharmasoft

    Tablets

    28 X 0.075 mg

    not in the basket chart 61777 3766

    Tablets

    3 X 28 X 0.075 mg

    not in the basket chart 61778 3767

    Related information


    Dosage

    Posology: To achieve contraceptive effectiveness, Cerazette must be used as directed (see ‘How to take Cerazette’ and ‘How to start Cerazette’ at prescribing information).
    Special populations
    Renal impairment: No clinical studies have been performed in patients with renal impairment.
    Hepatic impairment: No clinical studies have been performed in patients with hepatic insufficiency. Since the metabolism of steroid hormones might be impaired in patients with severe hepatic disease, the use of Cerazette in
    these women is not indicated as long as liver function values have not returned to normal.
    Paediatric population: The safety and efficacy of Cerazette in adolescents below 18 years has not been established. No data are available.
    Method of administration: Oral use.
    See prescribing information for full details.


    Indications

    Oral contraception.


    Contra-Indications

    – Active venous thromboembolic disorder.
    – Presence or history of severe hepatic disease as long as liver function values have not returned to normal.
    – Known or suspected sex-steroid sensitive malignancies.
    – Undiagnosed vaginal bleeding.
    – Hypersensitivity to the active substance or to any of the excipients.


    Special Precautions

    If any of the conditions/risk factors mentioned below is present, the benefits of progestogen use shouldbe weighed against the possible risks for each individual woman and discussed with the woman before she decides to start with Cerazette. In the event of aggravation, exacerbation, or first appearance of any of these conditions, the woman should contact her physician. The physician should then decide on whether the use of Cerazette should be discontinued.The risk for breast cancer increases in general with increasing age. During use of combined oral contraceptives (COCs) the risk of having breast cancer diagnosed is slightly increased. This increased
    risk disappears gradually within 10 years after discontinuation of COC use and is not related to the duration of use, but to the age of the woman when using the COC. The expected number of cases diagnosed per 10,000 women who use COCs (up to 10 years after stopping) relative to never users over the same period has been calculated for the respective age groups and is presented in the table. The risk in users of progestogen-only contraceptives (POCs), such as Cerazette, is possibly of similar magnitude as that associated with COCs. However, for POCs the evidence is less conclusive. Compared to the risk of getting breast cancer ever in life, the increased risk associated with COCs is low. The cases of breast cancer diagnosed in COC users tend to be less advanced than in those who have not used COCs. The increased risk in COC users may be due to an earlier diagnosis, biological effects of the pill or a combination of both. Since a biological effect of progestogens on liver cancer cannot be excluded an individual benefit/risk assessment should be made in women with liver cancer. When acute or chronic disturbances of liver function occur the woman should be referred to a specialist for examination and advice. Epidemiological investigations have associated the use of COCs with an increased incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE, deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism). Although the clinical relevance of this finding for desogestrel used as a contraceptive in the absence of an oestrogenic component is unknown, should be discontinued in the event of a thrombosis. Discontinuation of Cerazette should also be considered in case of long-term immobilisation due to surgery or illness. Women with a history of thrombo-embolic disorders should be made aware of the possibility of a recurrence. Although progestogens may have an effect on peripheral insulin resistance and glucose tolerance, there is no evidence for a need to alter the therapeutic regimen in diabetics using progestogen-only pills. However, diabetic patients should be carefully observed during the first months of use.  If a sustained hypertension develops during the use of Cerazette, or if a significant increase in blood pressure does not adequately respond to antihypertensive therapy, the discontinuation of Cerazette should be considered. Treatment with Cerazette leads to decreased estradiol serum levels, to a level corresponding with the early follicular phase. It is as yet unknown whether the decrease has any clinically relevant effect on bone mineral density. The protection with traditional progestogen-only pills against ectopic pregnancies is not as good as with combined oral contraceptives, which has been associated with the frequent occurrence of ovulations during the use of progestogen-only pills. Despite the fact that Cerazette consistently inhibits ovulation, ectopic pregnancy should be taken into account in the differential diagnosis if the woman gets amenorrhoea or abdominal pain. 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 whilst taking Cerazette. The following conditions have been reported both during pregnancy and during sex steroid use, but an association with the use of progestogens has not been established: jaundice and/or pruritus related to cholestasis; gallstone formation; porphyria; systemic lupus erythematosus; haemolytic uraemic syndrome; Sydenham’s chorea; herpes gestationis; otosclerosis-related hearing loss; (hereditary) angioedema. Cerazette contains lactose and therefore should not be administered to patients with rare hereditary problems of galactose intolerance, the Lapp lactase deficiency, or glucose-galactose malabsorption.


    Side Effects

    Irregular menstruation, acne, mood alterations, breast pain, nausea and weight increase. Contact lens intolerance, vomiting NOS, alopecia, dysmenorrhea, ovarian cyst, fatigue.


    Drug interactions

    Interactions between hormonal contraceptives and other medicinal products may lead to breakthrough bleeding and/or contraceptive failure. The following interactions have been reported in the literature (mainly with combined contraceptives but occasionally also with progestogen-only contraceptives). Hepatic metabolism: Interactions can occur with medicinal products that induce microsomal enzymes, which can result in increased clearance of sex hormones (such as, hydantoins (e.g. phenytoin), barbiturates (e.g. phenobarbital), primidone, carbamazepine, rifampicin, and possibly also for oxcarbazepine, topiramate, rifabutin, felbamate, ritonavir, nelfinavir, griseofulvin and products containing St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum)). Maximal enzyme induction is not seen for 2-3 weeks, but may then be sustained for at least 4 weeks after the cessation of drug therapy. Women on treatment with any of these medicinal products should temporarily use a barrier method in addition to Cerazette. With microsomal enzyme-inducing drugs, the barrier method should be used during the time of concomitant drug administration and for 28 days after their discontinuation. For women on long-term therapy with hepatic enzyme inducers a nonhormonal method of contraception should be considered.
    During treatment with medical charcoal, the absorption of the steroid in the tablet may be reduced and thereby the contraceptive efficacy. Under these circumstances, the advice as given for missed tablets is applicable. Hormonal contraceptives may interfere with the metabolism of other drugs. Accordingly, plasma and tissue concentrations may either increase (e.g. cyclosporine) or decrease.
    Note: The prescribing information of concomitant medications should be consulted to identify potential interactions.


    Pregnancy and Lactation

    Pregnancy: Not indicated during pregnancy. If pregnancy occurs during treatment with Cerazette, further intake should be stopped.
    Animal studies have shown that very high doses of progestogenic substances may cause masculinisation of female foetuses. Extensive epidemiological studies have revealed neither an increased risk of birth defects in children born to women who used COCs prior to pregnancy, nor a teratogenic effect when COCs were taken inadvertently during early pregnancy. Pharmacovigilance data collected with various desogestrelcontaining
    COCs also do not indicate an increased risk.
    Breastfeeding: Cerazette does not influence the production or the quality (protein, lactose, or fat concentrations) of breast milk. However, small amounts of etonogestrel are excreted in the breast milk. As a result, 0.01 – 0.05 microgram etonogestrel per kg body weight per day may be ingested by the child (based on an estimated milk ingestion of 150 ml/kg/day). Limited long-term follow-up data are available on children, whose mothers started using Cerazette during the 4th to 8th week post-partum. They were breast-fed for 7 months and followed up to 1.5 years (n=32) or to 2.5 years (n=14) of age. Evaluation of growth and physical and psychomotor development did not indicate any differences in comparison to nursing infants, whose mother used a copper-IUD. Based on the available data Cerazette may be used during lactation. The development and growth of a nursing infant, whose mother uses Cerazette, should, however, be carefully observed.
    Fertility: Cerazette is indicated for the prevention of pregnancy. For information on return to fertility (ovulation).


    Manufacturer
    NV Organon
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