The Food and Drug Administration and Medroxyprogesterone Acetate

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Abstract
In 1978, the Food and Drug Administration denied approval of the three-month injectable contraceptive depot medroxyprogesterone acetate for use in the United States. This decision goes against the advice of the FDA's own scientific advisory panels, as well as the rulings of the World Health Organization and the drug regulation institutions of more than 70 developed and developing countries. In response to protest from the manufacturer of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate and from many health professionals, the FDA took the unusual step of scheduling a public board of inquiry to review its decision in January 1983. Reviewing the scientific literature on the risks and benefits of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate, we find no reason to deny depot medroxyprogesterone acetate approval, provided that studies of its possible side effects are continued and that women use it only after having made an informed choice between this and other methods of contraception. (JAMA1983;249:2922-2928)