The Danish Medicines Agency has been made aware of a recent discussion on Facebook about detection of prions (naturally occurring proteins) in urine-derived fertility medicines and a discussion of the medicine's safety.
The Danish Medicines Agency advises that the prions in urine-derived fertility medicines that we referred to in our announcement on 2 May 2011 (see link to the right) have not been associated to diseases - including the brain disease Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
Furthermore, many years' use of this type of medicine by millions of women worldwide has provided no evidence that diseases could be transmitted via the treatment.
Treatment of infertility can take place with urine-derived medicines or medicines manufactured through gene technology. Both product types are authorised in Denmark and other EU countries, and both types are considered safe. However, it is still being discussed if these two groups of medicines are equally effective for the treatment of infertility, or if treatment with urine-derived medicines increases the chances of having a child.
It is the treating specialist who chooses which type of medicine is to be used as treatment according to the woman's informed consent.
