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  • Title: Quinacrine pellets have potential for simple, low-cost female sterilizations.
    Journal: Contracept Technol Update; 1994 Apr; 15(4):41-4. PubMed ID: 12318749.
    Abstract:
    Thousands of women in developing countries depend on quinacrine as a simple, low cost, nonsurgical sterilization method. Few US reproductive health professionals know about quinacrine's family planning use. Since quinacrine cannot be patented, no pharmaceutical company can protect its financial investments in quinacrine. So none has asked the US Food and Drug Administration to approve it for contraception. US family planners question quinacrine's safety and efficacy, but supporters have access to much data showing that it is safe. Quinacrine is used to treat malaria, giardia, tapeworm, and lung cancer. When quinacrine is inserted into the uterus, it dissolves, migrates to the tube, and creates scar tissue that blocks the tube. 252 mg quinacrine once a month for 2-3 months is enough to induce scarring. None of 80,000 women who have used quinacrine pellets to effect nonsurgical sterilization died from quinacrine. The liquid form of quinacrine used as a sterilizing agent in the 1970s in Chile caused 3 deaths, toxic psychosis (i.e., intense mental irritability), cancer, and a failure rate of 2-6.7%. Researchers are still following the Chilean women to determine whether there is indeed an excess cancer risk. Even though laboratory studies showed that quinacrine is potentially toxic, teratogenic, and mutagenic, researchers in Texas still used it for clinical trials. A gynecologist contends that even if quinacrine proves to be toxic to humans, it benefits may outweigh risks, and thus it should be available in the US. A women's health advocate is concerned about quinacrine's potential carcinogenic risk, yet she is interested in a sterilization procedure without surgery. She also thinks that sterilization is a misnomer because of its high failure rates. Many people think that a population control policy drives proponents to push for quinacrine use. Its proponents say that it will save the lives of women, and that surgical sterilization places women at risk of death.
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