This April, a batch of ParaGard T 380A Intrauterine Copper Contraceptive devices were recalled due to a lack of assurance of sterility, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The device's parent company, TEVA Pharmaceuticals which is based in Pennsylvania, voluntarily recalled the devices from hospitals, clinics, and gynecologists across the country.
The ParaGard is a type of contraceptive device implanted into a woman to prevent unintended pregnancy. According to Drugs.com, its success rate is very high with only 1.5 percent of women, who were correctly using the device, reporting an unplanned pregnancy. The IUD device is only authorized to be placed and removed by healthcare professionals who have experience with such implementations. Medical warnings for ParaGard use include intrauterine pregnancy, ectopic pregnancy, pelvic inflammatory disease, immunocompromise, embedment, perforation, and expulsion.
This is not the first time that ParaGard has come under media scrutiny. Unrelated to the recall, a lawsuit was filed against TEVA in March of 2013 after the device embedded itself into one user's colon, reportedly causing her severe complications which resulted in mandatory colon surgery.
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