CCTN - CONTRACEPTIVE CLINICAL TRIALS NETWORK - CORE - FEMALE

Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk VA

Investigators

Abstract

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), is the lead Federal agency for the conduct of basic, clinical research to develop new contraceptives and to evaluate existing methods of contraception and reproductive health. The Center for Population Research (CPR), within NICHD, was established in 1968 by the Secretary of Health Education and Welfare, with the important goal of developing new contraceptives through the use of contracts and grants. Within CPR, the Contraception and Reproductive Health Branch (CRHB) has long supported several preclinical contraceptive testing facilities as well as facilities for synthetic chemical and synthetic peptide formulation. To further expand their contraceptive development capabilities, in 1996 CRHB established the NICHD Contraceptive Clinical Trials Network (CCTN). The current CCTN has conducted Phase I, II, and III clinical trials of contraceptive methods. With the recompetition of the CCTN, clinical sites will perform Phase I, II, III, and Phase IV clinical trials of a wide variety of new or existing female contraceptive methods. There is a demand for estrogen-free contraception in order to reduce the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), particularly for obese women. A new oral contraceptive agent consisting of a progesterone receptor modulator, which does not affect endogenous estrogen levels, has been developed. Ulipristal acetate (UPA) has been used in a single high dose for emergency contraception and has been used continuously for up to six months for treatment of uterine fibroids. Low dose continuous usage of oral UPA is anticipated to inhibit ovulation and provide an estrogen free, bleed free method of contraception. SPECIFIC AIMS