A Possible Substitute for Mifepristone Is Already on Pharmacy Shelves

January 23, 2025

Unlabeled pill bottles in a pharmacy

(The Atlantic) – Now a preliminary study suggests that using another drug in place of mifepristone may be just as effective for terminating an early pregnancy. The drug, called ulipristal acetate and sold as a 30-milligram pill under the brand name Ella, was approved by the FDA in 2010 as prescription-only emergency contraception. In a paper published today in the journal NEJM Evidence, researchers from the reproductive-rights nonprofit Gynuity Health Projects, along with partners in Mexico, reported the results of a trial in Mexico City that included more than 100 women with pregnancies up to nine weeks’ gestation. They found that medication abortion using 60 milligrams of ulipristal acetate (the equivalent of two doses of Ella) followed by misoprostol ended 97 percent of patients’ pregnancies without any additional follow-up care. (Read More)