Yaz: What's in a Name?
Brand names for drugs like Yaz and Yasmin do not last forever. Patents eventually expire, at which point generic manufacturers step in and begin marketing the same drug under different names. For example, Advil and Motrin are the same drug. However, each has advertising claiming it has a unique success in treating inflammation. In the case of Yaz and Yasmin, there are a number of generic formulations already out there. They are the same medication, carrying the same effects, side effects and, yes, the exact same risks for young women taking them.
The problem here is that consumers may not know off the top of their head which drugs are which. The trick is to look for the name of the original formulation, rather than its brand name. Yaz and Yasmin are formulations of a progestin known as Drospirenone. So are the generic versions, Ocella and Gianvi.
Of course, since the drugs are exactly the same, they carry the same risks. These risks stem from the thickening of the blood that results from hormone use, meaning that the women are at a greater risk of developing blood clots. This can lead to cardio-pulmonary complications, such as a clot being thrown loose into the lungs, heart or brain. This can lead to damage of any one of these organs, including a stroke and even in one alleged case, death.
Yet you won't find the advertisements for Ocella or Gianvi explaining that they're the same medicine as the now-controversial Yaz and Yasmin. Given that the advertising companies are not being forthcoming, the FDA has begun issuing stern warnings and fines. The company marketing Ocella and Gianvi, Teva Pharmaceuticals, already has been warned by the FDA for false advertising and improper labeling of its product. This on top of being a drug that already had a history of causing problems under its original names.
Whether it's discerning that Advil and Motrin are both just ibuprofen, or learning the chemical name behind Yaz, patients need to learn to identify the chemical name of the medicines they are taking so they aren't inadvertently taken in by a simple brand name swap — and exposing themselves to the side effects.
----
