Touted as simpler and more convenient than the pill, the EVRA emits medication for a full week
The contraceptive patch, touted to be just as effective but simpler and more convenient to use than the birth control pill, has arrived in Hong Kong.
The beige-coloured patch, the size of a matchbox, was launched yesterday, complete with models demonstrating how to use it. Just plaster the patch on the arm, upper body, abdomen or the buttocks.
The seven-day wonder is worn for one week at a time and changed on the same day of the week for three consecutive weeks. The fourth week is patch-free.
The Pill must be taken every day for either 21 or 28 days of the month.
The EVRA patch - it stands for norelgestromin/ethinyl estradiol, the active hormones it administers - is marketed by Janssen Cilag, part of Johnson & Johnson, the manufacturer of health-care products.
Betty Kwan Ka-mei, a family doctor who is not connected with the company, noted that no medicine was safe for everyone. The patch should not be used by women who suffered from hypertension, heart disease, liver and kidney diseases, blood-clotting problems, migraine or breast or uterine cancers, she said.