Conditions: Contraception
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 1166
Healthy volunteers: yes

Brief summary:
The purpose of the study is to determine safety and efficacy of long-cycle regimens of an oral contraceptive.

Detailed description:
The study has previously been posted by Schering AG, Germany. Schering AG, Germany has been renamed to Bayer Schering Pharma AG (BSP AG), Germany.

Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Germany is the sponsor of the trial.

The previously posted secondary Outcome Measure "Parameters of safety and tolerability" has been removed from result posting as it is covered by the Adverse Event section.

Arms:
arm 1: 3 cycles of treatment, each cycle comprising 120 days intended treatment with one tablet daily of 20µg ethinyl estradiol as betadex clathrate (EE20) plus 3 mg drospirenone (DRSP) followed by a 4 day tablet-free interval. If 3 consecutive days of bleeding and/or spotting occurred during the 120 day treatment period, a 4 day tablet free interval was advised. The minimum period between 2 tablet free intervals was 24 days. After each 4 day tablet free interval, a new 120 day intended treatment period was to be restarted, resulting in a minimum of 3 and maximum of 13 withdrawal bleeding episodes during one year of treatment. arm 2: 3 cycles of treatment, each cycle comprising 120 days uninterrupted treatment with one tablet daily of 20µg ethinyl estradiol as betadex clathrate plus 3 mg drospirenone followed by a 4 day tablet free interval, 3 withdrawal bleeding episodes during one year of treatment were expected. arm 3: 13 cycles of treatment, each cycle comprising an intake of one tablet daily with 24 days of active tablets (20µg ethinyl estradiol as betadex clathrate plus 3 mg drospirenone) followed by 4 days of placebo tablets, 13 withdrawal bleeding episodes during one year of treatment were expected.

Interventions: intervention 1: Flexible (extended) treatment of EE20/DRSP (YAZ, BAY86-5300) intervention 2: Fixed extended treatment of EE20/DRSP (YAZ, BAY86-5300) intervention 3: Standard 24+4 treatment of EE20/DRSP (YAZ, BAY86-5300)
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: 3 cycles of treatment, each cycle comprising 120 days intended treatment with one tablet daily of 20µg ethinyl estradiol as betadex clathrate (EE20) plus 3 mg drospirenone (DRSP) followed by a 4 day tablet-free interval. If 3 consecutive days of bleeding and/or spotting occurred during the 120 day treatment period, a 4 day tablet free interval was advised. The minimum period between 2 tablet free intervals was 24 days. After each 4 day tablet free interval, a new 120 day intended treatment period was to be restarted, resulting in a minimum of 3 and maximum of 13 withdrawal bleeding episodes during one year of treatment. intervention 2: 3 cycles of treatment, each cycle comprising 120 days uninterrupted treatment with one tablet daily of 20µg ethinyl estradiol as betadex clathrate plus 3 mg drospirenone followed by a 4 day tablet free interval, 3 withdrawal bleeding episodes during one year of treatment were expected. intervention 3: 13 cycles of treatment, each cycle comprising an intake of one tablet daily with 24 days of active tablets (20µg ethinyl estradiol as betadex clathrate plus 3 mg drospirenone) followed by 4 days of placebo tablets, 13 withdrawal bleeding episodes during one year of treatment were expected.

Protocol document: