New Version of Morning After Pill Creates Controversy

A new version of the morning-after pill called EllaOne, is far better at protecting against pregnancy and can be used up to five days after, longer than any protection against pregnancy developed so far, researchers claim.

The new drug, Ulipristal Acetate, is sold as EllaOne and is currently only sold in Europe. The most commonly used pill is Levonorgestrel, which is sold as Levonelle and Plan B and must be taken within three days.

During the testing of EllaOne a group of 5500 women were put into two different groups. One group was given one dose of EllaOne (30 mg) and the other group received a 175 mg dose of Levonorgestrel within a 5 day period of unprotected relations. What they found from this study was that Ellaone delays the release of the egg for fertilization while Levonorgestrel destroys the implanted embryo, which is approved for use up to 72 hours(three days).

EllaOne is approved for use up to 120 hours (five days), but is a prescription only medicine.
The new pill works differently from the current morning after pill because it delays the release of an egg rather than destroying an already implanted embryo.

EllaOne has created controversy amid fears that the extra safety net it provides could encourage women to be less diligent about using condoms. Anti-abortion activists have termed EllaOne as a potential baby killer. According to them, women would terminate pregnancies under the facade of morning-after pill.