The Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation has registered Gedeon Richter’s combined oral contraceptive (COC) under trade name Esteretta. The drug is a combination of estetrol and drospirenone. This was reported in the press service of the company.
“The main advantages of estetrol as part of a combined oral contraceptive are a low risk of thromboembolism and cardiovascular complications, a positive effect on the central nervous system, prevention of age-related brain changes, as well as selective action on tissues, including breast tissue. In a woman’s body, estetrol, when interacting with estrogen receptors in the mammary glands, acts as an antagonist and neutralizes the negative stimulating effect of female hormones on breast cells. Experimental models have shown that estetrol can stimulate the death of malignant cells in breast tissues. Therefore, scientists continue to study estetrol as a potential drug for the treatment of breast cancer,” the report says.
In combination with drospirenone, estetrol shows high protection against unwanted pregnancy (99.6%) and rapid recovery of ovulation: in 97% of women, it resumes within the first month after they stop taking pills, the company said.
A new oral contraceptive with native estrogen expands the portfolio of Gideon Richter drugs for women’s health. It has been available to Russian women since the fall of 2022.