Dienogest—A new progestin

Oral contraceptives have over 70 million users world-wide and are regarded as one of the most reliable forms of contraception, but unfortunately their full potential is not yet completely realized. Many women associate long-term oral contraceptive usage with health problems, and experience inadequate cycle control and nuisance side-effects, that often result in non-compliance and treatment discontinuation. Although reduction of the estrogen content has improved safety, new, more selective progestins and different estrogen/progestin ratios may offer greater benefits in terms of both efficacy and safety.Recent advances to combine the desirable activities of both 19-norprogestins and C21-progestins, and develop a hybrid progestin, have led to the introduction of dienogest. Unlike other 19-norprogestin derivatives, dienogest has a substituted cyanomethyl group in place of an ethinyl group at position 17α and, as a result, has a unique endocrinopharmacological profile. Dienogest demonstrates high specificity t...