ABSTRACT
Application of counterfeit medicines is extremely dangerous, because neither their quality, nor their efficacy and the circumstances of their preparation are known. The most effective and well-known fight against counterfeit medicines is the assurance of closed medicine supply chain. In the present study beside the review of the anti-counterfeiting technologies, combined oral contraceptives purchased out of pharmacy were examined from the point of counterfeiting. Based on the results of the study it could be concluded that the medicines contained the correct ingredients, but the examined products were not marketing authorized in Hungary.
Subject(s)
Contraceptives, Oral, Sequential/standards , Fraud , Pharmaceutical Preparations/standards , Pharmacies/standards , Contraceptives, Oral, Sequential/chemistry , Hungary , Legislation, Drug , Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform InfraredABSTRACT
PIP: Researchers continue to search for newer oral contraceptive (OC) formulations that retain the pill's beneficial effects while minimizing side effects. Changes in the clinical profile of OCs since their introduction in 1960 have enhanced their safety and acceptability. Most notable has been a trend toward the reduction of the pill's estrogen dose to 15-20 mcg of ethinyl estradiol and the consequent decline in cardiovascular risks attributable to thromboembolic processes. In addition, research has been directed toward the identification of selective gonane progestins that do not have the same atherogenetic impact as their predecessors. The low-dose gonane progestins may provide protection against cardiovascular disease through their beneficial impact on lipid profile. New regimes currently under study include a 23-24-day/month use pattern to reduce follicular ripening, use of estradiol rather than ethinyl estradiol, and the identification of progestins with special anti-androgenic effects. Also under investigation is the contraceptive potential of antiprogestogens such as RU-486. At present, the non-contraceptive benefits of OC use include reductions in ovarian and endometrial cancer, fewer ovarian cysts, less benign breast disease, a lower incidence of pelvic inflammatory disease, and less menorrhagia.^ieng
