Collaboration Seeks to Educate Oncology Community About Non-Hormonal Birth Control Option for Women With Cancer

Evofem Biosciences, Inc and the National Community Oncology Dispensing Association, Inc (NCODA) are launching a collaboration to positively impact the quality of life for female patients living with, fighting, and recovering from cancer by raising awareness about the importance and availability of a new non-hormonal birth control method, lactic acid/citric acid/potassium bitartrate (Phexxi).

The collaboration begins today, which is also World Cancer Day, and the organizations will be working together to develop and share resources and educational information for the medically integrated oncology pharmacy team. Their efforts will help support female patients with cancer in deciding which contraceptive option best meets their unique, individual needs, according to the press release.

Many cancer treatment protocols require female patients of reproductive age to use birth control while undergoing treatment. The introduction of Phexxi in September 2020 helped the limited non-hormonal prescription contraception market in which women were guided toward condoms or the copper IUD, a prescription medical device that is implanted in the uterus where it releases copper ions and causes inflammation.

"Women who are being or who have previously been treated for hormone-sensitive cancers should not use hormonal birth control because it may stimulate the growth of tumor cells," said Gury Doshi, MD, Texas Oncology, in a press release. "Non-hormonal birth control is the best option for these women, and it is important that each woman and her medical team evaluate and determine which of the two available hormone-free prescription contraceptives, a surgically implanted device or an on-demand vaginal pH modulator gel, is best for her."

NCODA will be developing a positive quality intervention (PQI) in connection with Phexxi to help operationalize and standardize practices to achieve positive outcomes for patients. PQIs will also help educate oncologists and other members of the medically integrated oncology pharmacy team who are involved in the care of oncology patients who may be prescribed Phexxi, according to the press release.

Approved by the FDA in May 2020, Phexxi is the first and only FDA-approved, non-hormonal contraceptive vaginal gel and is designed to be used immediately before or up to an hour before intercourse. The gel works to maintain vaginal pH, helping to reduce sperm mobility, lowering the chance of sperm reaching the egg.

REFERENCE

Evofem Biosciences and NCODA Announce Collaboration to Educate Oncology Community about Phexxi®, A Non-Hormonal Birth Control Option for Women with Cancer. PR Newswire. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/evofem-biosciences-and-ncoda-announce-collaboration-to-educate-oncology-community-about-phexxi-a-non-hormonal-birth-control-option-for-women-with-cancer-301221728.html. Published February 4, 2021. Accessed February 4, 2021.