Reports in the media Friday said Johnson & Johnson (JNJ: News ) ‘s Ortho Evra birth control patch was determined by an FDA Advisory panel to provide benefits that outweighed the risk of blood clotting. The advice is not binding on the FDA. The Reproductive and drug safety advisory panel voted 19-5 in favor of the benefits of the patch. Panelists voted 20-3 with one abstention that the drug label is inadequate. Studies had found that the patch carries higher risk of blood clots than low- dose hormonal pills. Johnson & Johnson has made a number of changes to the labeling of the product over the last six years since settling claims with a payment of about $68.7 million, Bloomberg reported.
