Abortion pill Mifegymiso prescribed more than 4,000 times since hitting shelves

FILE: A fetus, 10 weeks old (Photo: suparna sinha/Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0)

OTTAWA — Health Canada says Canadian pharmacies doled out 4,253 doses of the abortion pill Mifegymiso in 2017, the first year it was marketed in this country.

The information came in a response to a parliamentary order paper question posed by Conservative MP Arnold Viersen in February.

Joyce Arthur, the executive director of the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada, said she is happy the momentum behind the drug is finally building up.

“I’m sure you would see a steady increase, like a curve going up,” she said. “We hope to see that curve continue.”

Mifegymiso is a “combination product” that ends pregnancies after separate doses of two different drugs are taken.

In January, British Columbia became the sixth province to fully cover the pill, joining Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Pro-choice organizations are pushing to get the remaining provinces and territories on board — saying those living in rural areas or places with limited access to abortion services are most in need.

Last November, Health Canada lifted some restrictions on the pill, allowing it to be prescribed up to nine weeks into a pregnancy instead of the previous limit of seven weeks.

It also made clear that the pill could be given directly to patients by a pharmacist or prescribing health professional and dropped a special training requirement for these prescribers.

Arthur said the restrictions contributed to a slow start for Mifegymiso. Removing the mandatory training requirement and having provinces cover the costs “streamlines the process and cuts down on delays,” she added.

Sarah Hobbs-Blyth, executive director of Planned Parenthood Toronto said she was pleased that “another safe, reliable option in abortion care” is available to women and that demand is already high.

Her organization began offering the drug in March of this year. Until then it was unable to provide any abortion services because it was not a surgical facility.

“We have more requests for the abortion pill than we are able to accommodate,” she said. “We encourage all eligible clinicians to access the training needed to support this service.”

In his questions to Health Canada, Viersen also wanted to know what studies had been completed on the side effects of the pill, the methodologies used, what findings were available and the number of Canadians affected by known side effects.

The health agency said it has not done any studies on the drug’s side effects in the last two years, but added a plan for a post-approval safety study is currently under review.

Health Canada’s response mentioned “only one report” of a harmful reaction to the pill so far. The reaction involved heavy bleeding — a side effect the agency says is clearly listed in product information intended for health care professionals.

Viersen would not comment directly on the response from Health Canada. He instead sent a statement via email from LifeCanada — an association that represents pro-life groups across the country — citing their concerns that the side effects of the drug are too common and can “mask an underlying complication.”

Health Canada said it will continue to monitor reactions to Mifegymiso and take “appropriate action” if additional safety concerns are raised.