Off Label Use of Abortion Pill Linked to Deadly Infections

Wednesday, June 18th, 2008

Early studies conducted by University of Michigan scientists point to rare, fatal infections in off-label use of misoprostol, a drug used to cause abortion. When taken orally, RU-486’s companion drug—misoprostol—is safe; however, vaginal use may undermine the body’s immune responses and is now believed to be linked to the deadly infections seen in women taking the drugs since 2000. Misoprostol is US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved to be taken orally with RU-486 for pregnancy termination; however, many women have received the drug vaginally as part of a two-drug combination. The vaginal delivery method has not yet been evaluated by the FDA.

Lab research indicated that when misoprostol is administered directly in the reproductive tract, it weakened key immune defenses; suppressed macrophages, the immune cells that attack and kill bacteria; suppressed neutrophils; and inhibited other immune defenses such as production of anti-bacterial chemicals normally produced in the uterine lining. Administered vaginally, misoprostol also allows a normally non-threatening bacterium, Clostridium sordellii, to run amok and cause life-threatening infection. When administered orally and absorbed through the stomach, misoprostol did not mitigate immune defenses or cause illness. the rest image