5-day 'morning after' pill gets FDA advisers' approval
"An advisory panel of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave the green light Thursday to an emergency contraceptive for use up to five days after sex. The Advisory Committee for Reproductive Health Drugs voted unanimously to recommend the drug, called ella.
The pill is intended for women who have had unprotected sex or for whom another method of contraception, such as a condom, failed. Currently, there are no emergency contraception drugs available in the United States for use more than 72 hours after unprotected intercourse or failed contraception. The options available now -- Plan B, Plan B One Step and generic versions -- are available without a prescription to women 17 and older.
A group of 20 women's health organizations, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, wrote a letter to the panel backing the drug, citing the roughly 3.1 million unintended pregnancies each year in the U.S. 'We do not believe technology holds all the answers, but having two types of safe and effective emergency contraception will increase the likelihood that a woman can access a product that works for her situation,' the letter said."
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