Barr Laboratories will market a generic version of Bayer's oral contraceptive drug Yasmin in the United States, three months after Bayer's U.S. patents on the former drug were declared invalid.

In the biggest gain since May 9, the shares of Barr rose $1.97, or 4.8 percent, to $42.91 in New York Stock Exchange composite trading

Women are at higher risk of developing venous thromboembolism (VTE) when using the Ortho Evra Contraceptive Transdermal Patch, according to a new label approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday.

VTE can lead to pulmonary embolism, the FDA said.

The prescription patch releases ethinyl estradiol (an estrogen hormone) and norelgestromin (a progestin hormone) through the skin into the blood stream

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday has reportedly approved the first birth-control pill that is designed to let women suppress their menstrual cycle indefinitely.

Lybrel, a drug from Madison, New Jersey-based company Wyeth has become the first pill that can be taken daily to halt women's periods indefinitely and prevent pregnancies. It is also the fourth new oral contraceptive that does not follow the standard schedule of 21 daily active pills, followed by seven sugar pills, a formula used to imitate a woman's monthly cycle

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is soon expected to give its approval for the first birth control pill that is designed to let women suppress their menstrual cycle indefinitely.

Lybrel, a drug from Madison, New Jersey-based company Wyeth would be the first pill to be taken continuously and the fourth new oral contraceptive that does not follow the standard schedule of 21 daily active pills, followed by seven sugar pills, a formula used to imitate a woman's monthly cycle

Scientists are suggesting that a contraceptive pill that promises to end the pain and misery of menstruation for millions of women has been proved safe and effective. The study, published in the December issue of Contraception, has for the first time demonstrated the safety and effectiveness of continuous-use oral contraceptives that can eliminate menstrual cycles.

Lead investigator David F. Archer, M.D., professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Eastern Virginia Medical School, said that the medicine, called Lybrel, was taken every day for a year and halted periods in more than half of the 2,000 women who used it