FDA Approves Hologic's Less Invasive Permanent Contraception System

Main Category: Sexual Health / STDs
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology;  Regulatory Affairs / Drug Approvals
Article Date: 13 Jul 2009 - 5:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

FDA has given final approval to Hologic's Adiana permanent contraception system, the Boston Herald reports. The company hopes to market the procedure as an alternative to tubal ligation surgery for the roughly 700,000 U.S. women who undergo the procedure each year. Adiana is similar to Conceptus' Essure, which has been on the market since 2002.

Adiana involves a two-step procedure that can be performed in about 15 minutes in a doctor's office. The process consists of inserting a catheter into the fallopian tubes and delivering a low level of radio frequency energy to make a small lesion on the inside lining of each tube. The catheter then implants silicone polymer inserts, about the size of a grain of rice, on top of the lesions. The tubes become blocked as healthy cell tissue attaches to the inserts (McConville, Boston Herald, 7/9).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

© 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.

• Additional
• References
• Citations