Harvard Affiliate To Test RU 486 Pill

The Boston chapter of Planned Parenthood announced yesterday that it will collaborate with a Harvard affiliated hospital to test the French abortion pill RU 486.

Planned Parenthood, a non-profit national organization for reproductive health, will test the pill on 120 women in Boston who are at least 18 years old and less than two months pregnant.

Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital will compile and analyze the data. Their names have been withheld by the hospital to preserve confidentiality.

RU 486, whose generic name is mifepristone, has already been approved for use in such countries as China, Great Britain and Sweden. It has not yet been tested and approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the United States.

Nicki Nicholas Gamble, president of the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, said in a press briefing yesterday that the Council hopes to have the drug available by 1996. The Population Council of New York, a reproductive health organization, holds exclusive rights over marketing the drug in America.

According to Planned Parenthood, women generally prefer the abortion pill to surgery because it allows for greater privacy, does not require anesthesia, and can be used in the earliest weeks following fertilization.

A total of 2100 American women will be tested at 12 sites nation-wide using a combination of RU 486 and a drug called misoprostol. The women will be given the same dosage that has been administered to 52,000 women in France.

Gamble said she was very pleased that Planned Parenthood was chosen as the Boston test site.

"Planned Parenthood has been providing abortions since 1982 in Worcester and since 1987 in Boston," Gamble said.

"We are especially pleased because we will be able to provide another option for women seeking abortion in our own clinic," she said.

According to Gamble, the organization will begin testing at the end of November and should get results within a few months.

But those on the opposite side of the abortion debate said they will mount active opposition against the drug's legalization.

"My only comment is that we realize this pill is still killing babies," said Judie Brown, president of the American Life League. "We will do everything we can to stop the FDA from approving it and if it is approved, we will boycott any company that uses it."

RU 486 is only effective during the first few weeks of pregnancy. It induces a miscarriage by interfering with the production of the hormone progesterone, which helps soften the lining of the uterus. Without progesterone, the surface of the uterus breaks down, causing menstruation and expulsion of the fertilized egg.

RU 486 is more effective when used in conjunction with the drug misoprostol, which helps the uterine lining slough off by inducing muscle contractions.

Alice Verhoeven, the clinic director at the Boston center for Planned Parenthood, said that the medical abortion caused by RU 486 requires the woman to visit the clinic three times.

During the first visit, the woman is given RU 486. Two days later, she is given misoprostol and monitored for four hours. One-half to three-fourths of the abortions occur at this time. A final check-up is made a few weeks later to make sure the abortion was successful.

In four out of every 100 cases, the abortion fails or is incomplete. In these cases, the abortion is completed by conventional surgery.

The cost of abortions from RU 486 has not yet been determined, but Gamble said she expects them to cost at least as much as surgical abortions, which cost $350 to $400.

Gamble said she does not think the cost of RU 486 or the greater number of doctor visits it requires will deter women from seeking a drug-induced abortion.

According to Gamble, of the women who are eligible to use RU 486 in France, 70 percent choose to use the pill instead of having a surgical abortion

"We are especially pleased because we will be able to provide another option for women seeking abortion in our own clinic," she said.

According to Gamble, the organization will begin testing at the end of November and should get results within a few months.

But those on the opposite side of the abortion debate said they will mount active opposition against the drug's legalization.

"My only comment is that we realize this pill is still killing babies," said Judie Brown, president of the American Life League. "We will do everything we can to stop the FDA from approving it and if it is approved, we will boycott any company that uses it."

RU 486 is only effective during the first few weeks of pregnancy. It induces a miscarriage by interfering with the production of the hormone progesterone, which helps soften the lining of the uterus. Without progesterone, the surface of the uterus breaks down, causing menstruation and expulsion of the fertilized egg.

RU 486 is more effective when used in conjunction with the drug misoprostol, which helps the uterine lining slough off by inducing muscle contractions.

Alice Verhoeven, the clinic director at the Boston center for Planned Parenthood, said that the medical abortion caused by RU 486 requires the woman to visit the clinic three times.

During the first visit, the woman is given RU 486. Two days later, she is given misoprostol and monitored for four hours. One-half to three-fourths of the abortions occur at this time. A final check-up is made a few weeks later to make sure the abortion was successful.

In four out of every 100 cases, the abortion fails or is incomplete. In these cases, the abortion is completed by conventional surgery.

The cost of abortions from RU 486 has not yet been determined, but Gamble said she expects them to cost at least as much as surgical abortions, which cost $350 to $400.

Gamble said she does not think the cost of RU 486 or the greater number of doctor visits it requires will deter women from seeking a drug-induced abortion.

According to Gamble, of the women who are eligible to use RU 486 in France, 70 percent choose to use the pill instead of having a surgical abortion