Safety and efficacy of a new oral contraceptive containing drospirenone.

An oral contraceptive containing ethinyl estradiol and the unique progestin drospirenone provides a new contraceptive option. Ethinyl estradiol is the form of synthetic estrogen used in most oral contraceptives. Drospirenone differs from other synthetic progestins in that it is derived from 17 alpha-spirolactone and is an analogue of spironolactone. The oral contraceptive containing ethinyl estradiol and the unique progestin drospirenone has been shown to be highly efficacious and to provide safety equivalent to that of other oral contraceptive formulations.