Japan approves first abortion drug

AFP reported on April 29 that the Japanese Ministry of Health , Labor and Welfare has approved the abortion pill MeFeego Pack from the British pharmaceutical company Linepharma. This is the first abortion pill licensed in Japan.

MeFeego Pack is the first abortion pill licensed in Japan.

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The medication is a two-step abortion method that consists of mifepristone and misoprostol, drugs that are considered safe and effective by the World Health Organization (WHO). It can be used up to 9 weeks of pregnancy. In a clinical trial in Japan, 93% of participants completed the abortion within 24 hours.

Linepharma applied for approval in December 2021. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare held its first review meeting in January and then asked the public to provide their opinions via an online portal. A ministry expert committee approved the drug on April 21, and the ministry made its final approval decision on April 28.

Abortion is legal in Japan up to 22 weeks, but requires the father's consent. According to CNN, Japanese women can only have an abortion if the pregnancy would cause serious harm to their health or for economic reasons, or in cases of rape.

Abortions have long been performed only at medical facilities and the procedure can cost between 100,000 and 200,000 yen (about 17-34 million VND). NHK reported that the total cost of abortion pills and a doctor's consultation is about 100,000 yen. These costs are not covered by public health insurance.

Japanese activists have been pushing for approval of the abortion pill for years, even though similar drugs have been approved in other countries for decades. France first approved the abortion pill mifepristone in 1988, while the US approved it in 2000.

Mifepristone has been at the center of a US court case in recent weeks. The US Supreme Court has temporarily upheld people’s right to access the drug, suspending lower court rulings that said it should be banned or severely restricted.

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