Objectives: Ovaprene is a novel, investigational, intravaginal hormone-free monthly ring contraceptive designed for use in women of reproductive age to be worn over multiple weeks (one menstrual cycle). The objective of this work was to evaluate the safety of Ovaprene during a nine-month repeat-dose sheep study.
Study design: In addition to traditional safety endpoints such as histopathological evaluation of the sheep female reproductive tract, vaginal fluids were collected and tested for released iron over time. Also, the amount of iron in the rings was assessed following removal, and serum iron levels were measured. There were four sheep in each group (Ovaprene group and sham group).
Results: There were no macroscopic clinical findings. There was minimal to mild, mixed or mononuclear cell infiltration present in all levels of vagina (cranial, mid, and caudal) from all animals including sham controls based on post-study necropsy. The female reproductive tract from animals treated with the Ovaprene ring was comparable to the sham controls. The concentrations of serum iron in sheep treated with Ovaprene ring were similar compared to a sham treated animal. The average amount of ferrous gluconate released from Ovaprene over the 29-day period of use was 175 mg of the approximately 512 mg nominally loaded into the rings.
Conclusions: Overall, the Ovaprene devices were well-tolerated in female sheep.
Implications: This study should support a chronic (e.g., one year) contraceptive efficacy study in women.
Keywords: Contraception; Ferrous gluconate; Knitted polymer barrier; Safety; Silicon.
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