Norethisterone acetate (NETA), also known as norethindrone acetate and sold under the brand name Primolut-Nor among others, is a progestin medication which is used in birth control pills, menopausal hormone therapy, and for the treatment of gynecological disorders.[1][2][3][4] The medication available in low-dose and high-dose formulations and is used alone or in combination with an estrogen.[5][4][6][7] It is ingested orally.[6]
Side effects of NETA include menstrual irregularities, headaches, nausea, breast tenderness, mood changes, acne, increased hair growth, and others.[6] NETA is a progestin, or a syntheticprogestogen, and hence is an agonist of the progesterone receptor, the biological target of progestogens like progesterone.[1] It has weak androgenic and estrogenic activity and no other important hormonal activity.[1][8] The medication is a prodrug of norethisterone in the body.[9][10]
NETA was patented in 1957 and was introduced for medical use in 1964.[11][12] It is sometimes referred to as a "first-generation" progestin.[13][14] NETA is marketed widely throughout the world.[4] It is available as a generic medication.[15]
NETA is used as a hormonal contraceptive in combination with estrogen, in the treatment of gynecological disorders such as abnormal uterine bleeding, and as a component of menopausal hormone therapy for the treatment of menopausalsymptoms.[4]
Available forms[]
NETA is available in the form of tablets for use by mouth both alone and in combination with estrogens including estradiol, estradiol valerate, and ethinylestradiol.[16][4]Transdermal patches providing a combination of 50 μg/day estradiol and 0.14 or 0.25 mg/day NETA are available under the brand names CombiPatch and Estalis.[16][4]
NETA was previously available for use by intramuscular injection in the form of ampoules containing 20 mg NETA, 5 mg estradiol benzoate, 8 mg estradiol valerate, and 180 mg testosterone enanthate in oil solution under the brand name Ablacton to suppress lactation in postpartum women.[17][18][19][20]
Contraindications[]
See also: Norethisterone § Contraindications, and Progestin § Contraindications
Side effects[]
See also: Norethisterone § Side effects, and Progestin § Side effects
Side effects of NETA include menstrual irregularities, headaches, nausea, breast tenderness, mood changes, acne, increased hair growth, and others.[6]
Overdose[]
See also: Norethisterone § Overdose, and Progestin § Overdose
Interactions[]
See also: Norethisterone § Interactions, and Progestin § Interactions
Pharmacology[]
See also: Norethisterone § Pharmacology, and Norethisterone § Pharmacokinetics
Norethisterone (17β-deacetyl-NETA), the active form of NETA.
Norethisterone and ethinylestradiol levels over 24 hours after a single oral dose of 10 mg NETA in postmenopausal women.[21]
NETA is a prodrug of norethisterone in the body.[9] Upon oral ingestion, it is rapidly converted into norethisterone by esterases during intestinal and first-passhepaticmetabolism.[10] Hence, as a prodrug of norethisterone, NETA has essentially the same effects, acting as a potent progestogen with additional weak androgenic and estrogenic activity (the latter via its metaboliteethinylestradiol).[1][8]
In terms of dosage equivalence, norethisterone and NETA are typically used at respective dosages of 0.35 mg/day and 0.6 mg/day as progestogen-only contraceptives, and at respective dosages of 0.5–1 mg/day and 1–1.5 mg/day in combination with ethinylestradiol in combined oral contraceptives.[8] Conversely, the two drugs have been used at about the same dosages in menopausal hormone therapy for the treatment of menopausalsymptoms.[8] NETA is of about 12% higher molecular weight than norethisterone due to the presence of its C17β acetateester.[2]
Micronization of NETA has been found to increase its potency by several-fold in animals and women.[22][23][24][25] The endometrial transformation dosage of micronized NETA per cycle is 12 to 14 mg, whereas that for non-micronized NETA is 30 to 60 mg.[22]
NETA metabolizes into ethinylestradiol at a rate of 0.20 to 0.33% across a dose range of 10 to 40 mg.[26][27] Peak levels of ethinylestradiol with a 10, 20, or 40 mg dose of NETA were 58, 178, and 231 pg/mL, respectively.[26][27] For comparison, a 30 to 40 μg dose of oral ethinylestradiol typically results in a peak ethinylestradiol level of 100 to 135 pg/mL.[27] As such, in terms of ethinylestradiol exposure, 10 to 20 mg NETA may be equivalent to 20 to 30 μg ethinylestradiol and 40 mg NETA may be similar to 50 μg ethinylestradiol.[27] Due to its estrogenic activity via ethinylestradiol, high doses of NETA have been proposed for add-back in the treatment of endometriosis without estrogen supplementation.[26] Generation of ethinylestradiol with high doses of NETA may increase the risk of venous thromboembolism.[27]
v
t
Relative affinities (%) of norethisterone, metabolites, and prodrugs
Notes: Values are percentages (%). Reference ligands (100%) were promegestone for the PR, metribolone for the AR, estradiol for the ER, dexamethasone for the GR, aldosterone for the MR, dihydrotestosterone for SHBG, and cortisol for CBG. Footnotes:a = Active or inactive metabolite, prodrug, or neither of norethisterone. Sources: See template.
NETA, also known as norethinyltestosterone acetate, as well as 17α-ethynyl-19-nortestosterone 17β-acetate or 17α-ethynylestra-4-en-17β-ol-3-one 17β-acetate, is a progestin, or synthetic progestogen, of the 19-nortestosterone group, and a synthetic estranesteroid.[2][5] It is the C17β acetateester of norethisterone.[2][5] NETA is a derivative of testosterone with an ethynyl group at the C17α position, the methyl group at the C19 position removed, and an acetate ester attached at the C17β position.[2][5] In addition to testosterone, it is a combined derivative of nandrolone (19-nortestosterone) and ethisterone (17α-ethynyltestosterone).[2][5]
Synthesis[]
Chemical syntheses of NETA have been published.[28]
History[]
Schering AG filed for a patent for NETA in June 1957, and the patent was issued in December 1960.[11] The drug was first marketed, by Parke-Davis as Norlestrin in the United States, in March 1964.[11][12] This was a combination formulation of 2.5 mg NETA and 50 μg ethinylestradiol and was indicated as an oral contraceptive.[11][12] Other early brand names of NETA used in oral contraceptives included Minovlar and Anovlar.[11]
Society and culture[]
Generic names[]
Norethisterone acetate is the INN, BANM, and JAN of NETA while norethindrone acetate is its USAN and USP.[2][5][4]
Brand names[]
NETA is marketed under a variety of brand names throughout the world including Primolut-Nor (major), Aygestin (US), Gestakadin, Milligynon, Monogest, Norlutate (US, CA), Primolut N, SH-420 (UK), Sovel, and Styptin among others.[2][5][4]
v
t
Formulations and brand names of norethisterone and esters
See also: List of progestogens available in the United States
NETA is marketed in high-dose 5 mg oral tablets in the United States under the brand names Aygestin and Norlutate for the treatment of gynecological disorders.[31] In addition, it is available under a large number of brand names at much lower dosages (0.1 to 1 mg) in combination with estrogens such as ethinylestradiol and estradiol as a combined oral contraceptive and for use in menopausal hormone therapy for the treatment of menopausalsymptoms.[7]
Research[]
NETA has been studied for use as a potential male hormonal contraceptive in combination with testosterone in men.[32]
^ abcdIARC Working Group on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans; World Health Organization; International Agency for Research on Cancer (2007). Combined Estrogen-progestogen Contraceptives and Combined Estrogen-progestogen Menopausal Therapy. World Health Organization. pp. 417–. ISBN978-92-832-1291-1. Norethisterone and its acetate and enanthate esters are progestogens that have weak estrogenic and androgenic properties.
^ abChwalisz K, Surrey E, Stanczyk FZ (2012). "The hormonal profile of norethindrone acetate: rationale for add-back therapy with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists in women with endometriosis". Reprod Sci. 19 (6): 563–71. doi:10.1177/1933719112438061. PMID22457429. S2CID2882899.
^Ufer, Joachim (1 January 1978). Hormontherapie in der Frauenheilkunde: Grundlagen und Praxis [Hormone Therapy in Gynecology: Principles and Practice] (in German) (5 ed.). de Gruyter. ISBN978-3110066647. OCLC924728827.
^Drugs. S. Karger. 1975. p. 128. 5.5.4 Oestradiol valerate + Benzoate/Testosterone Enanthate/Norethisterone Acetate (Ablacton). This product contains oestradiol benzoate 5mg, oestradiol valerate 8mg, norethisterone acetate 20mg and testosterone enanthate 180mg in a 1ml oily solution. It is injected intramuscularly.
^Kuhnz W, Heuner A, Hümpel M, Seifert W, Michaelis K (1997). "In vivo conversion of norethisterone and norethisterone acetate to ethinyl etradiol in postmenopausal women". Contraception. 56 (6): 379–85. doi:10.1016/s0010-7824(97)00174-1. PMID9494772. [...] it has been shown that the repeated oral administration of NET at doses of 0.5 to 3.0 mg to fertile women caused a dose related decrease in the serum levels of SHBG.24 It should be borne in mind that, besides its progestational activity, NET is also characterized by a marked androgenic partial activity, which has a suppressive effect on the synthesis of SHBG and therefore compensates the effects of an additional exposure to EE, on the liver.
^Gibian H, Kopp R, Kramer M, Neumann F, Richter H (1968). "Effect of particle size on biological activity of norethisterone acetate". Acta Physiol Lat Am. 18 (4): 323–6. PMID5753386.
^He CH, Shi YE, Liao DL, Zhu YH, Xu JQ, Matlin SA, Vince PM, Fotherby K, Van Look PF (May 1990). "Comparative cross-over pharmacokinetic study on two types of postcoital contraceptive tablets containing levonorgestrel". Contraception. 41 (5): 557–67. doi:10.1016/0010-7824(90)90064-3. PMID2112080.
^ abcSitruk-Ware R, Nath A (February 2013). "Characteristics and metabolic effects of estrogen and progestins contained in oral contraceptive pills". Best Pract. Res. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 27 (1): 13–24. doi:10.1016/j.beem.2012.09.004. PMID23384742.
^IARC Working Group on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans; International Agency for Research on Cancer (1 January 1999). Hormonal Contraception and Post-menopausal Hormonal Therapy(PDF). IARC. p. 65. ISBN978-92-832-1272-0. Lay summary. {{cite book}}: Cite uses deprecated parameter |lay-url= (help)
Anabolic steroids (e.g., testosterone and esters, methyltestosterone, metandienone (methandrostenolone), nandrolone and esters, many others; via estrogenic metabolites)