Mifepristone substitute already available?

Multiple federal lawsuits have threatened access to mifepristone. A new study found ulipristal--already in pharmacies--may work as well.

Instead of using Mifeprex (mifepristone), 97% of women in this study successfully ended their pregnancies in the first nine weeks of gestation by replacing mifepristone with a double dose (60 mg) of Ella (ulipristal), a prescription drug approved in 2010 for emergency contraception (“morning after pill.”) Read the proof of concept—an initial study—published in NEJM Evidence here, and read more on the study and potential impact in The Atlantic here. More studies need to be done comparing doses of ulipristal and mifepristone, but these initial study results indicate effectiveness on a par with mifepristone.