[TheLegacy]

http://edition.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/0....ap/index.html

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The first birth-control pill meant to put a stop to women's monthly periods indefinitely won federal approval Tuesday.

Called Lybrel, it's the first such pill to receive Food and Drug Administration approval for continuous use. When taken daily, the pill can halt women's menstrual periods indefinitely and prevent pregnancies.

Lybrel, manufactured by Wyeth, is the latest approved oral contraceptive to depart from the 21-days-on, seven-days-off regimen that had been standard since birth-control pill sales began in the 1960s.

The pill isn't for everyone, an FDA official said. About half the women enrolled in studies of Lybrel dropped out, said Dr. Daniel Shames, a deputy director in the FDA's drugs office. Many did so because of the irregular and unscheduled bleeding and spotting that can replace scheduled menstruation