Drospirenone: a novel progestogen used as an oral contraceptive without an estrogen component.

Drospirenone (DRSP) was synthesized as an analogue of spironolactone with the aim of producing a fourth-generation progestogen that differed from earlier progestogens in that it had antiandrogenic and little or no androgenic activity and lacked estrogenic effects while retaining some antimineralocorticoid activity. Since then, DRSP has been included in several oral contraceptive preparations together with an estrogen. However, increasing evidence has demonstrated that DRSP 4 mg on its own inhibits ovulation. It was thus a logical development to determine the efficacy of a tablet that only included DRSP 4 mg as an oral contraceptive. This proved successful and this product has now been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).