Download Oral Birth Control Recall

Oral Birth Control Recall - Alysena
Health Canada has issued a product recall for the birth control pill ALYSENA. Alysena is the
generic drug for Alesse.
Normally, Alysena-28 provides one week (7 days) of sugar (placebo) pills in the 28-day cycle.
Placebos are used to maintain the habit of taking your pill every day. You are also advised to
verify Alysena-21 which contains three rows of pink pills - make sure the 3 rows are indeed pink
pills.
What does this mean?
The affected package has two weeks of placebo instead of one; this means that for one week of
the cycle, the person taking the placebo pills is not actually protected from ovulation. This could
result in an unintended pregnancy.
Who might this affect?
If you have been prescribed Alesse, and then filled your prescription at a pharmacy under a
drug plan, there is a chance that you will have received Alysena instead of Alesse. This will
depend on your drug coverage. If you have been prescribed Alesse, you should check your
pills and ensure they are Alesse.
If you are taking Alesse, this notice does not affect you. If you are taking Alysena 21 or
Alysena 28, you should contact your pharmacist immediately. Check the lot number of your
pills. If you are unsure, take all packaging to your pharmacist.
If you have any questions or concerns, or you are unsure of which drug you are actually taking,
see your pharmacist or primary care provider.
More information about this recall is available on Health Canada and Apotex, the drug
manufacturer, websites.