Posted on Feb 25, 2023
Why an ulcer drug could be the last option for many abortion patients
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https://www.npr.org/2023/02/24/ [login to see] /abortion-drug-mifepristone-misoprotol-texas-case
A federal judge in Texas could rule as soon as today on whether to cut off access to a key medication abortion protocol, giving lawyers until day's end to submit additional arguments. Fearing another major blow to abortion access, some providers are already considering alternatives.
At the Trust Women clinic in Wichita, Kansas, it's already been crisis mode for months. And now clinic Director Ashley Brink says the staff is bracing for another — maybe even bigger — wave of uncertainty.
"We're at an unprecedented time," Brink says. "We've never faced this kind of crisis, and so there is a lot of unknowns."
First, they got patients from Texas after that state's abortion ban took effect in 2021. Then, patients came from all over the region after last summer's landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision. And now, they're facing the possibility of a nationwide ruling that would block access to a common abortion pill.
A federal judge in Texas could rule as soon as today on whether to cut off access to a key medication abortion protocol, giving lawyers until day's end to submit additional arguments. Fearing another major blow to abortion access, some providers are already considering alternatives.
At the Trust Women clinic in Wichita, Kansas, it's already been crisis mode for months. And now clinic Director Ashley Brink says the staff is bracing for another — maybe even bigger — wave of uncertainty.
"We're at an unprecedented time," Brink says. "We've never faced this kind of crisis, and so there is a lot of unknowns."
First, they got patients from Texas after that state's abortion ban took effect in 2021. Then, patients came from all over the region after last summer's landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision. And now, they're facing the possibility of a nationwide ruling that would block access to a common abortion pill.
Why an ulcer drug could be the last option for many abortion patients
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Abortion
Medical
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Drugs
Pharmaceuticals
Posted >1 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Downsides and unknowns
A recent study by the Guttmacher Institute found that 98% of medication abortions in the U.S. used the two-drug protocol in 2020.
But internationally, the second drug, misoprostol, has been used alone for decades, says Dr. Jamila Perritt, president and CEO of Physicians for Reproductive Health. Perritt says the case could leave both healthcare providers and patients facing complex medical and legal decisions about how to move forward without mifepristone.
"At this point, there are still a lot of unknowns in terms of how this is going to play out," Perritt says. "What we do know is that misoprostol has been used on its own for decades around the world and is effective at ending an early pregnancy."
The World Health Organization says misoprostol can be used effectively alone, often with additional doses.
There are downsides, though, including a higher risk of side effects like nausea and cramping, says Dr. Ushma Upadhyay, a public health professor at the University of California, San Francisco, who is researching the misoprostol-only protocol.
"It's so important that patients understand how long they'll be bleeding after they take the miso alone," she says. "And it is longer."...
..."Downsides and unknowns
A recent study by the Guttmacher Institute found that 98% of medication abortions in the U.S. used the two-drug protocol in 2020.
But internationally, the second drug, misoprostol, has been used alone for decades, says Dr. Jamila Perritt, president and CEO of Physicians for Reproductive Health. Perritt says the case could leave both healthcare providers and patients facing complex medical and legal decisions about how to move forward without mifepristone.
"At this point, there are still a lot of unknowns in terms of how this is going to play out," Perritt says. "What we do know is that misoprostol has been used on its own for decades around the world and is effective at ending an early pregnancy."
The World Health Organization says misoprostol can be used effectively alone, often with additional doses.
There are downsides, though, including a higher risk of side effects like nausea and cramping, says Dr. Ushma Upadhyay, a public health professor at the University of California, San Francisco, who is researching the misoprostol-only protocol.
"It's so important that patients understand how long they'll be bleeding after they take the miso alone," she says. "And it is longer."...
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