Contraceptive Pills Tests Ordered

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31449, 16 August 1967, Page 7

Contraceptive Pills Tests Ordered

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

WASHINGTON, August 14.

The United States Food and Drug Administration has directed that a new series of long-range tests be started immediately on all contraceptive pills already on the market as well as those in the final stages of testing on humans, the Associated Press reported.

There is no plan, however, to remove any present drugs from the market

A spokesman for the F.D.A. said yesterday that 11 pharmaceutical firms making oral contraceptives were told that new tests must be made on dogs and on primates—that is, animals such as monkeys which are in the same class as man. Primates had not been used in previous long-range tests of the drugs, the spokesman said.

The new tests were ordered after both dogs and monkeys developed abnormalities In

breast tissue when given an experimental contraceptive drug known as MK-665. This drug has never been placed on public sale. Tests of it had been authorised on 340 women, but these human tests were halted early in 1966 after four of six dogs taking the drug developed breast cancer. In further tests monkeys developed abnormalities de-

scribed as a typical hyperplasia in the breast tissue. A spokesman said the possibility was slight that that could be a forerunner of cancer. But the F.D.A. told manufacturers the findings were disturbing enough to make general testing on primates “mandatory.”