PARIS, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- French health watchdog on Wednesday called for a stop to the sale of Diane 35, an anti-acne pill but also being widely used as contraceptive that has left four deaths in the country.
The National Agency for Safety of Drug and Health Products (ANSM) made the decision after it found that Diane 35, as a drug used in the treatment of acne exposed the pill takers to "the risk of venous thromboembolism four times higher than whose women who do not take these treatments" against acne, according to a statement released by the agency.
Last Sunday, the health regulator criticized the drug responsible for 125 cases of thrombosis and at least four deaths since its launch on the French market in 1987.
According to the agency, Diane 35, which is manufactured by the German pharmaceutical company Bayer, has been prescribed to 315,000 women in France as a contraceptive.
"This drug is not licensed for use as a contraceptive," ANSM's chief Dominique Maraninchi told a press conference on Wednesday.
The agency expected pill users to find another alternative to replace Diane 35 with a period of three-month before the it is out of the market.
It has launch a new study into the pill and the result is expected in a week.
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