British women compensated over faulty contraceptive

LONDON - Britain’s healthcare administration has paid 200,000 pounds ($312,000) in compensation to a group of women after they became pregnant or were injured while using a contraceptive device, a media report said Wednesday.

The National Health Service (NHS) has received over 1,000 complaints about Implanon, a plastic implant that is injected under a woman’s skin, which releases the hormone progesterone, guarding against pregnancy for up to three years.

The implant is regularly given to women under 16 who are “not deemed responsible enough to remember to take oral contraceptives on a daily basis”, The Daily Telegraph reported.

However, figures obtained by Channel 4 News said that 584 women who had the hormone-filled tube inserted into their arms have reported unwanted pregnancies to the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency.

There have also been 1,607 complaints about injuries and other problems associated with the device.

Most of the complaints have been made by doctors and nurses who said it was difficult to insert properly and could not be checked afterwards.

Some women, who took Implanon, said they terminated pregnancies and suffered the breakdown of relationships.

One woman named Lara said her marriage collapsed due to the stress. “I don’t want kids at this time. It really disturbed me,” she said.

The firm MSD, which manufactured the implant, said it was replacing Implanon with a new contractive implant called Nexplanon.

The active ingredient would remain the same but, unlike Implanon, the new implant would show up on X-rays and CAT scans. The applicator has been modified, the company said.

It added that a training programme was available for health professionals involved in fitting the devices.