PHARMACEUTICALS, Nikkei Asia, AYA ONISHI and KAZUHIRO OGAWA, Nikkei staff writers, January 28, 2023 03:31 JST
Japan's 1st abortion pill takes step closer to approval: Treatment would give women option other than surgical procedure
Japan's 1st abortion pill takes step closer to approval - Nikkei Asia
TOKYO -- A panel of experts under Japan's Health Ministry has given initial approval for an oral abortion pill for the first time on Friday, a major step for women in a country seen as lagging behind the rest of the developed world in reproductive health.
In March, a separate advisory body reporting to the health minister will deliberate whether to approve the pill, after which the minister will make a final decision.
While abortion pills have been available in some other countries for about 30 years, this would be the first available in Japan if final approval is declared. Until now, abortion has only been possible in the country through surgical procedures.
"I'm very happy that oral abortion pills are being considered for approval in Japan, where only surgical methods have been available. It will be an important step in the promotion of women's health care," said Mikiya Kitamura, head of the Japanese unit of Linepharma, the British pharmaceutical company that submitted the approval request.
Linepharma filed for approval for the pill, marketed in Japan as Mefeego, in December 2021. Due to a high level of societal interest, the government will solicit public opinions through an online platform.
Mefeego consists of two separate drugs, mifepristone, which suppresses the progesterone activity necessary to maintain a pregnancy, and misoprostol, which causes uterine contractions. The two drugs are taken at different times, ultimately expelling the contents of the uterus.
The treatment can be used within nine weeks of the beginning of pregnancy under the supervision of a doctor certified to perform abortions. Mefeego likely will not be covered by Japan's public health insurance.
A domestic clinical trial was conducted on 120 pregnant women who wanted to have an abortion, and 93% of them successfully aborted within 24 hours. Side effects such as abdominal pain and vomiting occurred in about 60% of patients, but most were reported to be mild or moderate.
Currently, there are only two surgical methods of abortion available in Japan, the dilation and curettage method, in which the contents of the uterus are scraped out with a metal instrument, and dilation and evacuation, in which the contents are sucked out with a tube.
The World Health Organization recommends abortion pills and the evacuation method, saying the curettage method is outdated and should not be performed.
These procedures typically cost more than 100,000 yen ($770), adding a large financial burden to the physical and emotional stress that women go through.
"It's important to expand options for women," said Masakazu Terauchi, a professor at Tokyo Medical and Dental University who is also an obstetrician and gynecologist.
Since abortion pills have side effects, efforts to deepen society's understanding as a whole, including that of partners, are also essential.
The approval of oral abortion pills has been in focus as part of the larger issue of women's reproductive health, which includes abortion rights. Japan has been said to lag behind other countries in public understanding of abortion and contraception.
An international survey on contraceptive methods conducted by the United Nations in 2019 found that only 3% of women in Japan use a birth control pill, compared to 33% in France and 14% in the U.S.
Access to contraceptives in Japan has been improving thanks to the spread of online consultations.
About 690,000 people had registered for the online birth control pill prescription app Smaluna as of December, up roughly 40% from a year earlier. About eight in 10 of those users are in their 20s to early 30s. When asked about the purpose of taking the pill with multiple answers allowed, 60% of users answered "contraception."
Japanese digital advertising company CyberAgent also started an online pill prescription service called Lunatomo last year.
