Warner Chilcott on Monday announced that it has reached a tentative settlement to antitrust lawsuits filed against the company concerning its chewable oral contraceptive Femcon Fe, Reuters reports (Chaudhary, Reuters, 4/16). FDA in November 2003 approved the chewable version of Northern Ireland-based Galen Holdings' oral contraceptive Ovcon 35. The chewable pills, which Bristol-Myers Squibb manufactures, contain progestin and estrogen -- the same hormones used in standard birth control pills. The pills will be available in a 28-day regimen with 21 white tablets containing norethindrone and ethinyl estradiol, as well as seven green placebo pills that induce a menstrual period. Women will be able to chew the pills or swallow them whole; women who chew the pills must drink an eight-ounce glass of water afterward to ensure that the full dose reaches their stomachs. Femcon Fe has similar side effects to other birth control pills, such as an increased risk for blood clots, heart attack and stroke. One month's supply of the pill costs $44 wholesale (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 12/11/06). According to a Chilcott release, the lawsuits were brought by 34 states, the District of Columbia and indirect pharmaceutical purchasers. The company has proposed to pay $7.5 million in cash and product donations in exchange for the dismissal of the lawsuits. The settlements do not include related pending actions brought by direct purchaser plaintiffs (Warner Chilcott release, 4/16).