The Hindu : Move to include abortion pill in family welfare programme

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 16, 2002

National

National

Move to include abortion pill in family welfare programme

By Gargi Parsai

New Delhi Oct. 15. There is a move to introduce the Abortion Pill, sold as M.T. (Medical Termination) Pill and by other names in the market, in the Government's family welfare programme.

The All-India Institute of Medical Sciences will spearhead a Consultation of National Expert Group next week to formulate guidelines for streamlining the distribution of the pill and its use. The pill is supposed to be made available only on prescription.

According to the programme's Chief Coordinator and Head of the Department, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, AIIMS, Suneeta Mittal, there is a pressing need to come out with guidelines on this drug for its safe and informed use as the pill had found its way to easy markets such as the paan and other such shops in small towns leading to its indiscriminate use. Last year, the Drug Controller of India gave his assent to the marketing of this pill under prescription.

The abortion pill is a safe and non-surgical way of terminating an unwanted pregnancy up to six weeks of pregnancy. Studies were on to see whether its dosage and benefits could be extended up to nine weeks, Dr. Mittal said.

In India, abortions are one of the highest contributors to maternal mortality rates with an estimated 20,000 abortion-related deaths per year out of an estimated 13 million abortions.

The abortion pill, commonly known as RU-486 (mifepristone), is an anti-progesterone drug which has been approved for use as abortifacient for early termination of pregnancy. Given with misoprostol, it causes uterine contractions and separation of placenta from the uterus so that the foetus is aborted. The side-effects include nausea, vomiting and abortion-related pain. But several women prefer this to the surgical method, which entails risks of uterus perforation and such other.

"However, the practising gynaecologists have inadequate information about its proper use, besides its indiscriminate use. To address these issues, it is felt that guidelines should be formulated for the safe usage of this highly effective drug. Besides, there is a move to reduce the dosage of the mifepristone with misoprostol'' Dr. Mittal said.

Multi-centric trials on the pill were carried out between 1997 and 2001 with 450 women at three centres in India, including the Institute of Research in Reproduction, Mumbai, the Post-Graduate Institute in Chandigarh and the AIIMS. Dr. Mittal headed the trials in Delhi.

The National Consultation, to be inaugurated by the Secretary, Family Welfare, R. Prasada Rao, on October 21, will make gynaecologists aware of crucial issues — when is a pregnancy to be terminated by RU-486, where, how and by whom should it be terminated, how the drug should be made available for early medical abortion, and what should be the follow-up and post-abortion contraception counselling.

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