<P> The first oral contraceptive introduced in Europe was Schering's Anovlar on June 1, 1961 in West Germany . The lower hormonal dose, still in use, was studied by the Belgian Gynaecologist Ferdinand Peeters . </P> <P> Before the mid-1960s, the United Kingdom did not require pre-marketing approval of drugs . The British Family Planning Association (FPA) through its clinics was then the primary provider of family planning services in Britain and provided only contraceptives that were on its Approved List of Contraceptives (established in 1934). In 1957, Searle began marketing Enavid (Enovid 10 mg in the U.S.) for menstrual disorders . Also in 1957, the FPA established a Council for the Investigation of Fertility Control (CIFC) to test and monitor oral contraceptives which began animal testing of oral contraceptives and in 1960 and 1961 began three large clinical trials in Birmingham, Slough, and London . </P> <P> In March 1960, the Birmingham FPA began trials of noretynodrel 2.5 mg + mestranol 50 μg, but a high pregnancy rate initially occurred when the pills accidentally contained only 36 μg of mestranol--the trials were continued with noretynodrel 5 mg + mestranol 75 μg (Conovid in Britain, Enovid 5 mg in the U.S.). In August 1960, the Slough FPA began trials of noretynodrel 2.5 mg + mestranol 100 μg (Conovid - E in Britain, Enovid - E in the U.S.). In May 1961, the London FPA began trials of Schering's Anovlar . </P> <P> In October 1961, at the recommendation of the Medical Advisory Council of its CIFC, the FPA added Searle's Conovid to its Approved List of Contraceptives . On December 4, 1961, Enoch Powell, then Minister of Health, announced that the oral contraceptive pill Conovid could be prescribed through the NHS at a subsidized price of 2 s per month . In 1962, Schering's Anovlar and Searle's Conovid - E were added to the FPA's Approved List of Contraceptives . </P>

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