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  • Title: Great Britain second country to allow use of RU-486.
    Author: Smith W.
    Journal: Plan Parent Eur; 1991 Sep; 20(2):20. PubMed ID: 12284548.
    Abstract:
    Great Britain has become the second country to allow the use of RU-486, the controversial abortifacient drug. Prior to July 1, 1991, only France had granted approval to RU-486. France introduced the drug 1989, and since then, nearly 100,000 women have used it to terminate pregnancies. Despite the drug's great safety record, controversy has surrounded RU-486. Anti-abortion pressure persuaded Roussel Uclaf, the drug's manufacturer, to withdraw the product, only to be reinstituted following intervention by the French government. To prepare Britain for the possible introduction of RU-486, the Birth Control Trust, a charity concerned with the quality and extent of abortion provision, worked to provide a forum for the drug. In 1987, Roussel Laboratories Ltd. initiated a large-scale trial using volunteers from England and Scotland. In 1989, the Birth Control Trust succeeded in organizing a conference where the trial's findings were presented, and where the potential legal, sociological, and economic implication of introducing RU-486 were discussed. On July 1991, Roussel Laboratories Ltd. received a product licence. Despite an initial quiet reception to the news, the publication of a letter welcoming RU-486 and singed by prominent individuals prompted the anti-choice lobby to renew its campaign against the drug. In addition to the usual protest from religious groups and anti-choice politicians, some sections of the women's movement also came out in opposition to RU-486, who felt that more emphasis should be paid to training paramedics to perform abortions than on providing new drugs. Currently, the distribution of RU-486 is tightly controlled. But this could change, once the drug's contribution to choice, safety, and efficacy begins to influence the public demand.
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