Birth control drugs by prescription only, says Hong Kong health expert after blood clot fears
Women's health expert says UK study found an increase in blood clots after taking pills with drospirenone but officials report no such cases
A women's health expert has questioned whether more protection is needed for women in the city as birth control pills linked to an increased incidence of dangerous blood clots remained on sale locally, over the counter, without requiring a prescription from a doctor.
But the government said it had no recorded incidences of blood clots directly related to the pills in Hong Kong and that additional warnings had already been affixed to packaging.
A study in the United Kingdom this year found birth control pills containing drospirenone were twice as likely to cause life-threatening blood clots in users, presenting as strokes or deep vein thrombosis.
The study emphasised the chance of these clots was still low, about 14 cases in every 10,000 women.
A class action lawsuit is currently being put together by about 1,100 women in Australia who are taking to court the manufacturer of a birth control drug containing drospirenone.
Meanwhile in Hong Kong, birth control brands Yasmin and Yaz, which contain drospirenone, are easily available from pharmacists without prescription or even a pharmacist's supervision.
When a female journalist tried to buy the pills at a popular Hong Kong pharmacy chain, no questions were asked; it was only when the journalist asked about their side effects, after purchase, that the pharmacist told her she should consult her doctor.
