Special Warning : אזהרת שימוש

5 WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS
5.1 Thromboembolic Disorders and Other Vascular Problems
Stop Yaz Plus if an arterial or venous thrombotic (VTE) event occurs.

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Based on presently available information on DRSP-containing COCs with 0.03 mg ethinyl estradiol (that is, Yasmin), DRSP-containing COCs may be associated with a higher risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) than COCs containing the progestin levonorgestrel or some other progestins. Epidemiologic studies that compared the risk of VTE reported that the risk ranged from no increase to a three-fold increase. Before initiating use of Yaz Plus in a new COC user or a woman who is switching from a contraceptive that does not contain DRSP, consider the risks and benefits of a DRSP-containing COC in light of her risk of a VTE. Known risk factors for VTE include smoking, obesity, and family history of VTE, in addition to other factors that contraindicate use of COCs [see Contraindications (4)].
A number of studies have compared the risk of VTE for users of Yasmin (which contains 0.03 mg of EE and 3 mg of DRSP) to the risk for users of other COCs, including COCs containing levonorgestrel. Those that were required or sponsored by regulatory agencies are summarized in Table 2.

Table 2: Estimates (Hazard Ratios) of Venous Thromboembolism Risk in Current Users of Yasmin Compared to Users of Oral Contraceptives that Contain Other Progestins Epidemiologic Study                Comparator Product                    Hazard Ratio (HR) (Author, Year of Publication)      (all are low-dose COCs; with ≤            (95% CI) Population Studied                 0.04 mg of EE)
 i3 Ingenix                         All COCs available in the US during       HR: 0.9 (Seeger 2007)                      the conduct of the study b                (0.5-1.6) Initiators, including new usersa

All COCs available in Europe during        HR: 0.9
EURAS                              the conduct of the studyc                 (0.6-1.4) (Dinger 2007)
Initiators, including new usersa   Levonorgestrel/EE                         HR: 1.0 (0.6-1.8)
“FDA-funded study” (2011)

New usersa                        Other COCs available during the           HR: 1.8 course of the studyd                      (1.3-2.4)

Levonorgestrel/0.03 mg EE                 HR: 1.6
(1.1-2.2)

All users
(i.e., initiation and continuing use of study combination           Other COCs available during the           HR: 1.7 hormonal contraception)            course of the studyd                      (1.4-2.1) 
Levonorgestrel/0.03 mg EE                 HR: 1.5
(1.2-1.8)
 a) “New users” - no use of combination hormonal contraception for at least the prior 6 months b) Includes low-dose COCs containing the following progestins: norgestimate, norethindrone, levonorgestrel, desogestrel, norgestrel, medroxyprogesterone, or ethynodiol diacetate c) Includes low-dose COCs containing the following progestins: levonorgestrel, desogestrel, dienogest, chlormadinone acetate, gestodene, cyproterone acetate, norgestimate, or norethindrone d) Includes low-dose COCs containing the following progestins: norgestimate, norethindrone, or levonorgestrel 
In addition to these “regulatory studies,” other studies of various designs have been conducted. Overall, there are two prospective cohort studies (see Table 2): the US post-approval safety study Ingenix [Seeger 2007], the European post- approval safety study EURAS (European Active Surveillance Study) [Dinger 2007]. An extension of the EURAS study, the Long-Term Active Surveillance Study (LASS), did not enroll additional subjects, but continued to assess VTE risk.
There are three retrospective cohort studies: one study in the US funded by the FDA (see Table 2), and two from Denmark 5
[Lidegaard 2009, Lidegaard 2011]. There are two case-control studies: the Dutch MEGA study analysis [van Hylckama Vlieg 2009] and the German case-control study [Dinger 2010]. There are two nested case-control studies that evaluated the risk of non-fatal idiopathic VTE: the PharMetrics study [Jick 2011] and the GPRD study [Parkin 2011]. The results of all of these studies are presented in Figure 1.
Figure 1: VTE Risk with Yasmin Relative to LNG-Containing COCs (adjusted risk#) 


Risk ratios displayed on logarithmic scale; risk ratio < 1 indicates a lower risk of VTE for DRSP, > 1 indicates an increased risk of VTE for DRSP.
*Comparator “Other COCs”, including LNG- containing COCs
† LASS   is an extension of the EURAS study
#Some   adjustment factors are indicated by superscript letters: a) Current heavy smoking, b) hypertension, c) obesity, d) family history, e) age, f) BMI, g) duration of use, h) VTE history, i) period of inclusion, j) calendar year, k) education, l) length of use, m) parity, n) chronic disease, o) concomitant medication, p) smoking, q) duration of exposure, r) site (References: Ingenix [Seeger 2007]2, EURAS (European Active Surveillance Study) [Dinger 2007]3, LASS (Long- Term Active Surveillance Study) [Dinger, unpublished document on file], FDA-funded study [Sidney 2011]4, Danish [Lidegaard 2009]5, Danish re-analysis [ Lidegaard 2011]6, MEGA study [van Hylckama Vlieg 2009]7, German Case- Control study [Dinger 2010]8, PharMetrics [Jick 2011]9, GPRD study [Parkin 2011]10) Although the absolute VTE rates are increased for users of hormonal contraceptives compared to non-users, the rates during pregnancy are even greater, especially during the post-partum period (see Figure 2). The risk of VTE in women using COCs has been estimated to be 3 to 9 per 10,000 woman-years. The risk of VTE is highest during the first year of use. Data from a large, prospective cohort safety study of various COCs suggest that this increased risk, as compared to that in non-COC users, is greatest during the first 6 months of COC use. Data from this safety study indicate that the greatest risk of VTE is present after initially starting a COC or restarting (following a 4 week or greater pill-free interval) the same or a different COC.
The risk of thromboembolic disease due to oral contraceptives gradually disappears after COC use is discontinued.
Figure 2 shows the risk of developing a VTE for women who are not pregnant and do not use oral contraceptives, for women who use oral contraceptives, for pregnant women, and for women in the postpartum period. To put the risk of developing a VTE into perspective: If 10,000 women who are not pregnant and do not use oral contraceptives are followed for one year, between 1 and 5 of these women will develop a VTE.


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Figure 2: Likelihood of Developing a VTE



If feasible, stop Yaz Plus at least 4 weeks before and through 2 weeks after major surgery or other surgeries known to have an elevated risk of thromboembolism.
Start Yaz Plus no earlier than 4 weeks after delivery, in women who are not breastfeeding. The risk of postpartum thromboembolism decreases after the third postpartum week, whereas the risk of ovulation increases after the third postpartum week.
Use of COCs also increases the risk of arterial thromboses such as strokes and myocardial infarctions, especially in women with other risk factors for these events.
COCs have been shown to increase both the relative and attributable risks of cerebrovascular events (thrombotic and hemorrhagic strokes), although, in general, the risk is greatest among older (>35 years of age), hypertensive women who also smoke. COCs also increase the risk for stroke in women with other underlying risk factors.
Oral contraceptives must be used with caution in women with cardiovascular disease risk factors.
Stop Yaz Plus if there is unexplained loss of vision, proptosis, diplopia, papilledema, or retinal vascular lesions. Evaluate for retinal vein thrombosis immediately. [See Adverse Reactions (6).] 5.2 Hyperkalemia
Yaz Plus contains 3 mg of the progestin DRSP, which has anti-mineralocorticoid activity, including the potential for hyperkalemia in high-risk patients, comparable to a 25 mg dose of spironolactone. Yaz Plus is contraindicated in patients with conditions that predispose to hyperkalemia (that is, renal impairment, hepatic impairment, and adrenal insufficiency).
Women receiving daily, long-term treatment for chronic conditions or diseases with medications that may increase serum potassium concentration should have their serum potassium concentration checked during the first treatment cycle.
Medications that may increase serum potassium concentration include ACE inhibitors, angiotensin-II receptor antagonists, potassium-sparing diuretics, potassium supplementation, heparin, aldosterone antagonists, and NSAIDs. Consider monitoring serum potassium concentration in high-risk patients who take a strong CYP3A4 inhibitor long-term and 7
concomitantly. Strong CYP3A4 inhibitors include azole antifungals (e.g. ketoconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole), HIV/HCV protease inhibitors (e.g., indinavir, boceprevir), and clarithromycin [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3)].


5.3 Malignant Neoplasms
Breast Cancer
Yaz Plus is contraindicated in females who currently have or have had breast cancer because breast cancer may be hormonally sensitive [see Contraindications (4)].
Epidemiology studies have not found a consistent association between use of combined oral contraceptives (COCs) and breast cancer risk. Studies do not show an association between ever (current or past) use of COCs and risk of breast cancer. However, some studies report a small increase in the risk of breast cancer among current or recent users (<6 months since last use) and current users with longer duration of COC use [see Adverse Reactions (6.2)].
Cervical Cancer
Some studies suggest that COCs are associated with an increase in the risk of cervical cancer or intraepithelial neoplasia.
However, there is controversy about the extent to which these findings may be due to differences in sexual behavior and other factors.
5.4 Liver Disease
Discontinue Yaz Plus if jaundice develops. Steroid hormones may be poorly metabolized in patients with impaired liver function. Acute or chronic disturbances of liver function may necessitate the discontinuation of COC use until markers of liver function return to normal and COC causation has been excluded.
Hepatic adenomas are associated with COC use. An estimate of the attributable risk is 3.3 cases/100,000 COC users.
Rupture of hepatic adenomas may cause death through intra-abdominal hemorrhage.
Studies have shown an increased risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma in long-term (> 8 years) COC users.
However, the attributable risk of liver cancers in COC users is less than one case per million users.
Oral contraceptive-related cholestasis may occur in women with a history of pregnancy-related cholestasis. Women with a history of COC-related cholestasis may have the condition recur with subsequent COC use.
5.5 Risk of Liver Enzyme Elevations with Concomitant Hepatitis C Treatment During clinical trials with the Hepatitis C combination drug regimen that contains ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir, with or without dasabuvir, ALT elevations greater than 5 times the upper limit of normal (ULN), including some cases greater than 20 times the ULN, were significantly more frequent in women using ethinyl estradiol-containing medications, such as COCs. Discontinue Yaz Plus prior to starting therapy with the combination drug regimen ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir, with or without dasabuvir [see Contraindications (4)]. Yaz Plus can be restarted approximately 2 weeks following completion of treatment with the Hepatitis C combination drug regimen.


5.6 High Blood Pressure
For women with well-controlled hypertension, monitor blood pressure and stop Yaz Plus if blood pressure rises significantly. Women with uncontrolled hypertension or hypertension with vascular disease should not use COCs.
An increase in blood pressure has been reported in women taking COCs, and this increase is more likely in older women and with extended duration of use. The incidence of hypertension increases with increasing concentration of progestin.
5.7 Gallbladder Disease
Studies suggest a small increased relative risk of developing gallbladder disease among COC users.
5.8 Carbohydrate and Lipid Metabolic Effects
Carefully monitor prediabetic and diabetic women who are taking Yaz Plus. COCs may decrease glucose tolerance in a dose-related fashion.


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Consider alternative contraception for women with uncontrolled dyslipidemia. A small proportion of women will have adverse lipid changes while on COCs.
Women with hypertriglyceridemia, or a family history thereof, may be at an increased risk of pancreatitis when using COCs.
5.9 Headache
If a woman taking Yaz Plus develops new headaches that are recurrent, persistent, or severe, evaluate the cause and discontinue Yaz Plus if indicated.
An increase in frequency or severity of migraine during COC use (which may be prodromal of a cerebrovascular event) may be a reason for immediate discontinuation of the COC.
5.10 Bleeding Irregularities
Unscheduled (breakthrough or intracyclic) bleeding and spotting sometimes occur in patients on COCs, especially during the first three months of use. If bleeding persists or occurs after previously regular cycles, check for causes such as pregnancy or malignancy. If pathology and pregnancy are excluded, bleeding irregularities may resolve over time or with a change to a different COC.
Data for Yaz Plus show the average number of episodes of bleeding per reference period (90 days) was 3.2 in Cycles 4-6.
The average number of bleeding and/or spotting days with Yaz Plus was 15.1 days. The intensity of bleeding for Yaz Plus based on the ratio of spotting-only days versus total bleeding and/or spotting days was 5.2/15.1 days.
Based on patient diaries from two contraceptive clinical trials of YAZ, 8 to 25% of women experienced unscheduled bleeding per 28-day cycle. A total of 12 subjects out of 1,056 (1.1%) discontinued YAZ due to menstrual disorders including intermenstrual bleeding, menorrhagia, and metrorrhagia.
Women who use Yaz Plus may experience absence of withdrawal bleeding, even if they are not pregnant. Based on subject diaries from YAZ contraception trials for up to 13 cycles, 6 to 10% of women experienced cycles with no withdrawal bleeding. Some women may encounter post-pill amenorrhea or oligomenorrhea, especially when such a condition was pre-existent.
If withdrawal bleeding does not occur, consider the possibility of pregnancy. If the patient has not adhered to the prescribed dosing schedule (missed one or more active tablets or started taking them on a day later than she should have), consider the possibility of pregnancy at the time of the first missed period and take appropriate diagnostic measures. If the patient has adhered to the prescribed regimen and misses two consecutive periods, rule out pregnancy.
5.11 Depression
Women with a history of depression should be carefully observed and Yaz Plus discontinued if depression recurs to a serious degree.
5.12 Interference with Laboratory Tests
The use of COCs may change the results of some laboratory tests, such as coagulation factors, lipids, glucose tolerance, and binding proteins. Women on thyroid hormone replacement therapy may need increased doses of thyroid hormone because serum concentrations of thyroid-binding globulin increase with use of COCs [see Drug Interactions (7.2)].
DRSP causes an increase in plasma renin activity and plasma aldosterone induced by its mild anti-mineralocorticoid activity.
Folates may mask vitamin B12 deficiency.
5.13 Monitoring
A woman who is taking COCs should have a yearly visit with her healthcare provider for a blood pressure check and for other indicated healthcare.
5.14 Other Conditions
In women with hereditary angioedema, exogenous estrogens may induce or exacerbate symptoms of angioedema.
Chloasma may occasionally occur, especially in women with a history of chloasma gravidarum. Women with a tendency to chloasma should avoid exposure to the sun or ultraviolet radiation while taking COCs.

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6 ADVERSE REACTIONS
The following serious adverse reactions with the use of COCs are discussed elsewhere in the labeling:
•   Serious cardiovascular events and stroke [see Boxed Warning and Warnings and Precautions (5.1)]
•   Vascular events [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1)]
•   Liver disease [see Warnings and Precautions (5.4)] 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience
Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, the adverse reaction rates observed cannot be directly compared to rates in other clinical trials and may not reflect the rates observed in practice.
Contraception, Acne and Folate Supplementation Clinical Trials
The data provided reflect the experience with the use of YAZ (3 mg DRSP/0.02 mg EE), in the adequate and well- controlled studies for contraception (N=1,056), for moderate acne vulgaris (N=536) and folate supplementation (N=379).
For contraception, a Phase 3, multicenter, multinational, open-label study was conducted to evaluate safety and efficacy up to one year in 1,027 women aged 17-36 who took at least one dose of YAZ. A second Phase 3 study was a single center, open-label, active-controlled study to evaluate the effect of 7 28-day cycles of YAZ on carbohydrate metabolism, lipids and hemostasis in 29 women aged 18-35. For acne, two multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled studies, in 536 women aged 14–45 with moderate acne vulgaris who took at least one dose of YAZ, evaluated the safety and efficacy during up to 6 cycles. For folate supplementation, the primary efficacy study using Yaz Plus was a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, active-controlled US trial in 379 healthy women aged 18- 40 who were treated with Yaz Plus or YAZ for up to 24 weeks.
The adverse reactions seen across the 3 indications overlapped, and are reported using the frequencies from the pooled dataset. The most common adverse reactions (≥ 2% of users) were: headache/migraine (5.9%), menstrual irregularities (including vaginal hemorrhage [primarily spotting], metrorrhagia and menorrhagia) (4.1%), nausea/vomiting (3.5%), and breast pain/tenderness (3.2%).
PMDD Clinical Trials
Safety data from trials for the indication of PMDD are reported separately due to differences in study design and setting in the OC, Acne and Folate Supplementation studies as compared to the PMDD clinical program.
Two (one parallel and one crossover designed) multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trials for the secondary indication of treating the symptoms of PMDD evaluated safety and efficacy of YAZ during up to 3 cycles among 285 women aged 18–42, diagnosed with PMDD and who took at least one dose of YAZ.
Common adverse reactions (≥ 2% of users) were: menstrual irregularities (including vaginal hemorrhage [primarily spotting] and metrorrhagia) (24.9%), nausea (15.8%), headache (13.0%), breast tenderness (10.5%), fatigue (4.2%), irritability (2.8%), decreased libido (2.8%), increased weight (2.5%), and affect lability (2.1%).
Adverse Reactions (≥1%) Leading to Study Discontinuation:
Contraception Clinical Trials
Of 1,056 women, 6.6% discontinued from the clinical trials due to an adverse reaction; the most frequent adverse reactions leading to discontinuation were headache/migraine (1.6%) and nausea/vomiting (1.0%).
Acne Clinical Trials
Of 536 women, 5.4% discontinued from the clinical trials due to an adverse reaction; the most frequent adverse reaction leading to discontinuation was menstrual irregularities (including menometrorrhagia, menorrhagia, metrorrhagia and vaginal hemorrhage) (2.2%) .
Folate Clinical Trial
Of 285 women, 4.6% who used Yaz Plus or YAZ discontinued from the clinical trials due to an adverse reaction; no reaction leading to discontinuation occurred in ≥ 1% of women.
PMDD Clinical Trials

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Of 285 women, 11.6% discontinued from the clinical trials due to an adverse reaction; the most frequent adverse reactions leading to discontinuation were: nausea/vomiting (4.6%), menstrual irregularity (including vaginal hemorrhage, menorrhagia, menstrual disorder, menstruation irregular and metrorrhagia) (4.2%), fatigue (1.8%), breast tenderness (1.4%), depression (1.4%), headache (1.1%), and irritability (1.1%).
Serious Adverse Reactions
Contraception Clinical Trials: migraine and cervical dysplasia
Acne Clinical Trials: none reported in the clinical trials
Folate Supplementation Clinical Trial: cervix carcinoma stage 0
PMDD Clinical Trials: cervical dysplasia
6.2 Postmarketing Experience
Five studies that compared breast cancer risk between ever-users (current or past use) of COCs and never-users of COCs reported no association between ever use of COCs and breast cancer risk, with effect estimates ranging from 0.90 - 1.12 (Figure 3).
Three studies compared breast cancer risk between current or recent COC users (<6 months since last use) and never users of COCs (Figure 3). One of these studies reported no association between breast cancer risk and COC use. The other two studies found an increased relative risk of 1.19 - 1.33 with current or recent use. Both of these studies found an increased risk of breast cancer with current use of longer duration, with relative risks ranging from 1.03 with less than one year of COC use to approximately 1.4 with more than 8-10 years of COC use.

Figure 3: Relative Studies of Risk of Breast Cancer with Combined Oral Contraceptives 


RR = relative risk; OR = odds ratio; HR = hazard ratio. “ever COC” are females with current or past COC use; “never COC use” are females that never used COCs.


The following adverse reactions have been identified during post approval use of YAZ. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure.
Adverse reactions are grouped into System Organ Classes, and ordered by frequency.
Vascular disorders: Venous and arterial thromboembolic events (including pulmonary emboli, deep vein thrombosis, cerebral thrombosis, retinal thrombosis, myocardial infarction and stroke), hypertension (including hypertensive crisis) 11
Hepatobiliary disorders: Gallbladder disease, liver function disturbances, liver tumors 
Immune system disorders: Hypersensitivity (including anaphylactic reaction) 
Metabolism and nutrition disorders: Hyperkalemia, hypertriglyceridemia, changes in glucose tolerance or effect on peripheral insulin resistance (including diabetes mellitus)

Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders: Chloasma, angioedema, erythema nodosum, erythema multiforme 
Gastrointestinal disorders: Inflammatory bowel disease

Musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders: Systemic lupus erythematosus 
Reporting of suspected adverse reactions
Reporting suspected adverse reactions after authorisation of the medicinal product is important. It allows continued monitoring of the benefit/risk balance of the medicinal product.
Any suspected adverse events should be reported to the Ministry of Health according to the National Regulation by using an online form https://sideeffects.health.gov.il

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