New Product

Cipla Launches i-pill

It is a single pill emergency contraception

A safeguard against unintended pregnancies with no long-term or serious side affects will now come in the form of a new emergency contraceptive pill launched recently by Cipla, called 'i-pill'. It is the first single pill emergency contraception to be made available over the counter in the Indian market. i-pill has been approved by scientific and regulatory authorities as a safe way to prevent pregnancy after contraceptive failure or unprotected sex. i-pill, a one-pill packet, contains the hormone levonorgestrel, and when taken immediately offers maximum protection against pregnancy.

i-pill decreases the chances of pregnancy by over 84-90 per cent when consumed preferably 12 hours or no later than 72 hours of unprotected sex or contraceptive failure. i-pill is also useful as a back-up birth control method under circumstances like improper use of regular birth control method or forced sex. Dr Jaideep Gogtay, Medical Services, Cipla, asserted, "Awareness about the existence of emergency contraception is abysmally low amongst likely users. In a developing country like ours, it becomes mandatory to provide basic education and healthcare information about such reliable back-up options."

Priced at Rs 75, the pill will soon be made available in all leading chemist and pharmacy outlets all over India. The efficacy of the pill is optimum if it's consumed soon after unprotected sex. Studies show that only one out of every 100 women is aware of emergency contraceptive pills. The need to create awareness about this category gains utmost importance with the number of abortions rising in our country. i-pill can work in any of the three different ways depending on where you may be in your menstrual cycle:

• It may stop an egg being released from the ovary.
• If an egg has been released, i-pill may prevent the sperm from fertilising it.
• If the egg is already fertilised, it may prevent it from attaching itself to the lining of the womb.

“However, it is important to remember that i-pill is ineffective if the pregnancy is established. It is therefore not an abortion pill,” added Dr Gogtay.

EH News Bureau