|
Modern pills for modern expectations
Hormonal contraception is nothing out of the ordinary for women nowadays. Fifty years after the classic "pill" was introduced, they can choose between a number of options: intrauterine systems, hormone plasters, depot injections and implants. Professor Ursula-Friederike Habenicht has made a major contribution to research in this field, and it is thanks to her efforts that new contraceptive options are still being brought to market after more than a half-century.
A biologist by training, Professor Habenicht moved from the Free University in Berlin to Bayer Schering Pharma in 1982. Since then her working life has revolved around hormones in general and hormonal contraception in particular.
 |
| A wonder of nature: the fertilization of a female egg cell |
Right from the start, her interest in developing new products and optimizing existing products for women was accompanied by work on the development of a contraceptive pill for men. "This is an important target group," Habenicht, now 54, explains. The outcome of her many years of work on this project is not a pill but a combination of a progestin implant and testosterone injections. Yet Habenicht and her team see this hormonal approach to male contraception as no more than a gateway into the field of innovative fertility control. "Contraception that doesn't involve hormones is far more interesting and more important for the future because a lot of women over 35 are looking for alternatives," Habenicht says.
Is this development likely to reduce interest in the classic birth-control pill? The ardent researcher answers without hesitation. "On the contrary. There are already a number of excellent products that we are currently optimizing. Our work is guided by what women want." At the top of the wish-list is oral contraceptives that combine reliable fertility control with a number of additional advantages. These can include relief from the emotional and physical symptoms of premenstrual distress disorder (PMDD) or moderately severe acne.
Research and development work in Habenicht's department is currently focusing on gynecological disorders such as endometriosis and myomas which can seriously impair women's quality of life and for which no satisfactory drug treatment exists.
Myomas are benign tumors in the muscle of the uterus (the myometrium). They affect between 20 and 35 percent of women in the 25 to 44 age bracket. Myomas are the most common non-malignant disorder of the female reproductive system. These tumors are not life-threatening, but they can cause severe symptoms. Habenicht explains, "These women have heavy menstrual bleeding that lasts for a relatively long time, chronic pain in the lower abdomen, and fertility problems." In most cases therapy consists of removing the uterus (hysterectomy) or non-specific administration of hormones. The objective of the research being done at Bayer Schering Pharma is to develop drugs which make surgery unnecessary.
Endometriosis is another very common and often very painful disorder. Experts estimate that one in five women is affected during the hormonally active phase of their lives. In endometriosis, the tissue that lines the uterus (called the endometrium) is found growing outside the uterus in places such as the Fallopian tubes, the ovaries or other organs of the body. The misplaced endometriotic tissue responds to changes in the woman's cycle in the same way as normal endometrium. About one third of affected women luckily do not even notice the problem, but the others suffer from painful periods accompanied by severe cramping.
In addition, endometriosis is a common cause of infertility. Experts believe that between one third and one half of women who are infertile or subfertile are suffering from endometriosis.
To date, the symptoms caused by endometriosis have been relieved either by surgical removal of the misplaced tissue or by administering drugs to block the hormonal cycle. "We are looking for ways of providing more targeted relief for women in the future," Habenicht says. "An important aspect of this work is a fuller understanding of the way endometriosis develops. Not only hormones but also blood-forming factors and inflammatory factors in the body play a role in this disorder. And this is where we are trying to intervene very specifically in the process."
|
