Adding the nutrient folic acid to an oral contraceptive may be a worthwhile way to further reduce certain types of birth defects, a U.S. advisory panel said recently. Johnson & Johnson , a leading contraceptive maker, wants to develop prescription-only pills that combine the two. The goal is to reduce the risks of birth defects in babies of women who become pregnant while taking birth control pills, as well as others who conceive shortly after stopping pill use. A combination pill would be “a convenient and effective way to reduce the number of neural tube defects in this country with negligible, if any, safety concerns,” Dr. Andrew Friedman, director of women’s health care research at Johnson & Johnson unit Ortho-McNeil, told the Food and Drug Administration advisory panel.
