Johnson & Johnson statement about Ortho Evra

Below is a statement to NBC News from a Johnson & Johnson representative in response to a Sept. 22 report about the Ortho Evra birth control patch:

Thank you for your inquiry to Ortho Women’s Health & Urology, Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. We believe it is inappropriate to comment on the details around ongoing litigation and therefore are not providing responses to your individual questions beyond the statement below:

ORTHO EVRA has been a safe and effective birth control option for women and their healthcare providers since 2002. It addresses a birth control need and provides another choice for women who, with the counseling of their healthcare provider, do not want or are unable to take a birth control pill every day. Ortho Women’s Health & Urology has regularly disclosed scientific data regarding ORTHO EVRA to the FDA, the medical community and the public in a timely manner, and when used according to the FDA-approved label, ORTHO EVRA remains a safe and effective method of hormonal birth control. It also, like all methods of hormonal birth control, has benefits and risks which, as a prescription medicine, should be the subject of discussion between a woman and her healthcare provider. These benefits, risks and other important safety information are contained in the Detailed Patient Labeling, which is part of the ORTHO EVRA® Prescribing Information, and can be found at http://www.orthoevra.com/sites/default/files/assets/OrthoEvraPI_0.pdf.”

— Jeff Christensen, spokesperson, Johnson & Johnson