For the first time ever, women in the UK will be able to inject their contraceptive at home after regulators extended the label for Pfizer’s long-acting, reversible birth control drug Sayana Press.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is allowing self-administration of the drug, which means that healthcare professionals can now train women to administer it outside of a clinical setting.
Sayana Press (medroxyprogesterone acetate injection) is administered via subcutaneous injection into the anterior thigh or abdomen, preventing ovulation and providing contraception for around 13 weeks.
Self-administration of the contraceptive enables doctors to prescribe up to 12 months’ supply in a single visit, offering greater convenience and avoiding the need for repeat routine visits to clinics and GP surgeries, Pfizer notes.
The jab was first launched in the UK in 2013.
