Beyaz - Contraceptive Containing a Folate Approved
Medically reviewed by Drugs.com.
MONDAY, Sept. 27 -- Beyaz, a combination estrogen/progestin contraceptive that also contains a folate, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The folate, levomefolate calcium, is a B-vitamin that's among a class of vitamins recommended for women of childbearing age. Lack of dietary folate has been associated with neural tube birth defects, which involve deformities of the fetal brain or spinal cord. The newly approved drug is designed to help prevent this type of defect among mothers who conceive shortly after discontinuing the drug, the FDA said in a news release.
Beyaz was studied in a multi-center U.S. trial involving 379 women aged 18 to 40. The most frequently reported side effects included uterine bleeding, nausea, breast tenderness and headache. Other serious side effects included blood clots and liver disease, the FDA said.
Women 35 or older should not use Beyaz, which could increase their risk of "serious cardiovascular events," the agency said.
Beyaz is based on the already approved contraceptive YAZ, which includes the same amounts of estrogen and progestin, the FDA said.
The newly approved drug is produced by Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted September 2010
Read this next
Birth Control Pill Increases Risk Of Asthma Attacks In Young Women
MONDAY, May 12, 2025 -- Young women taking the Pill might have an increased risk of asthma attacks, a new study says. Taking the progesterone-only form of the contraceptive pill...
Human Fertility Levels Need To Be Higher To Avoid Extinction
THURSDAY, May 1, 2025 — Billionaire and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has made headlines with dire warnings that declining birth rates are an “existential crisis” for...
Fewer Americans Traveled for Abortions in 2024, Report Finds
THURSDAY, April 17, 2025 — Fewer Americans traveled out of state for an abortion in 2024, according to a new report from the Guttmacher Institute, a group that supports...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.