Japan to Decide on 1st Abortion Pills in March at Earliest
10:30 JST, February 28, 2023
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Health ministry is expected to decide whether to approve the country’s first abortion pills at a panel meeting as early as March.
If the product, made up of two types of pills, is approved at the ministry’s panel on drugs, it would increase abortion options in Japan, where surgery is the main method to terminate pregnancy. But some experts point to such issues as the drug cost, which is expected to be higher than overseas.
Japan is screening Mefeego Pack, for which Linepharma K.K., a Japanese arm of British pharmaceutical company Linepharma International Ltd., is seeking manufacturing and marketing approval.
The product combines mifepristone, which curbs the effects of progesterone, a hormone key to continuing a pregnancy, and misoprostol, which causes the uterus to contract.
According to the ministry, abortion pills are available in at least 65 economies. The first of its kind was approved in France in 1988.
In Japan, the curettage method using metal instruments is usually employed.
"Society" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Japan Court OKs Sex Change without Surgery
-
3 Climbers Die On Mt. Fuji Within 2 Days Of Opening; Japan Police, Guides Urge Climbers To Prepare Well, Make Wise Decisions
-
New Mt. Fuji Rules Reduce ‘Bullet Climbers’ by 90%; Access to Japan’s Iconic Peak Limited from Yamanashi Pref. Side
-
Sex Crime Perpetrators Linked to U.S. Military in 166 Cases in Japan over 35 years; Local, Prefectural Governments Often Not Aware of Crimes
-
Tokaido Shinkansen Trains Suspended Between Hamamatsu and Nagoya Due to Accident; Resuming Services Expected Noon at Earliest
JN ACCESS RANKING