Ella Works Longer Than 'Morning After' Pill

Filed in archive Birth Control , Sexual Health on June 14, 2010

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Already available in the European market - Ella (ulipristal acetate)- which works a lot longer than the US's 'morning after' pill is pending approval in the United States.

Manufactured by a French drug company, Ella works as long as five days after unprotected sex. The ''morning after' pill or Plan B on the other hand works only up to 72 hours after unprotected sex. Ella then sounds too good to be true right? But then the drug is a close chemical relative of the abortion pill RU-486.

So there's where the debate starts. The pending approval of Ella in the US has sparked attention form every corner of the country. While advocates of family planning and reproductive rights in the US are welcoming the new drug Ella, their opponents are saying that Ella could also induce abortion and it could be misleading if FDA label it as an emergency contraceptive drug.