TORONTO, Jan 30, 2001 (LSN.ca) – The Canadian arm of the pharmaceutical company Shire has decided to discontinue distribution of the abortifacient morning-after pill kit called PREVEN. The kit was the first to be approved in Canada specifically as a morning-after-pill, which would act after fertilization to prevent implantation of the embryo. Roberts Pharmaceuticals gained exclusive rights to distribute the drug in Canada and then merged with Shire.
Shire explained its move saying it “is extremely disappointed in the lack of demand for the product.” The company notice said: “We are left with no choice but to discontinue PREVEN based on the minimal level of support that translates in negligible sales levels.”
The company also faced frequent pro-life pickets outside its Oakville Ontario offices. Moreover, the Canadian pro-life movement issued a boycott against Roberts and then Shire beginning in November 1999. Pro-lifers hope that other abortifacients such as RU-486 will also meet the same fate, despite the lobbying and support for such products from the small minority of hard-core abortion advocates in this country.