The FDA seems poised to approve a new morning-after pill, one which is effective for up to five days after unprotected sex, two days longer than the currently available Plan B. French drugmaker HRA Pharma has asked permission to sell Ella in the US, the brand name for the chemical ulipristal.
ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross is pleased that there will be another option. The health consequences of unwanted pregnancy are much greater than the risk of experiencing the drug s side-effects.
ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan agrees. Women need options and this is just another one of them, she says. Denying the availability of such pills to young women does not prevent them from having unsafe sex, but will reduce the risk of unintended pregnancy.
ACSH's Jeff Stier says politics, rather than sound science, has delayed ella s availability in the United States. Normally, the left-leaning politicians want the FDA to delay the approval of most drugs while right-wingers push for a quicker approval process. Yet, interestingly, on the issue of contraceptives the roles reverse. Ella has been used in Europe safely and effectively, but women are still unable to get it here in the US. Going forward, the right should drop their objection and the left should consistently adhere to their current call for faster approval.
