London, England, Jul 11, 2005 / 22:00 pm
The World Health Organization has added two abortifacient drugs on its list of essential medicines for developing countries, says a report published in the British Medical Journal July 9.
The two-drug combination has been presented as an alternative to surgical abortion, which leads to the deaths of an estimated 68,000 women each year. WHO argues the drugs would reduce these deaths.
The combination includes mifepristone, followed some 36 to 48 hours later by misoprostol, to induce abortion within nine weeks of pregnancy. According to WHO guidelines, the drugs would be administered under "close medical supervision."
This drug combination already exists in the UK, France, Germany, the United States, Russia, China, Israel, India, New Zealand and South Africa.