NEW YORK, April 18, 2002 (LSN.ca) – Danco Labs., the New York company which manufactures and distributes the abortion pill Mifeprix (RU-486) sent a letter yesterday to health care workers warning of severe complications associated with the deadly drugs. The letter notes that six women have developed serious illnesses and two have died after taking the drugs to induce abortions. The letter also warns doctors that they must report similar complications following the use of the drugs.
Three women who took the drug along with misoprostol to expel the aborted baby suffered bleeding caused by rupture of ectopic pregnancies; one of these women died. Two other women developed serious bacterial infections after receiving the two-drug combination, and one of them died. And finally a 21-year-old had a heart attack three days after taking RU-486. Despite the fact that heart attacks are extremely rare in women in their twenties (fewer than 1 in 100,000) the letter claims, “No causal relationship between any of these events and use of Mifeprex and misoprostol has been established.”
The letter notes that these very serious, life-threatening complications come in addition to the ‘normal’ painful side-effects of the drugs. “As you are aware, bleeding and cramping are a normal part of the process; women can expect bleeding or spotting for an average of 9 to 16 days. Women may experience bleeding that is similar to, or greater than, a heavy period. In the U.S. clinical trials, about 1 out of 100 women required a surgical procedure, identical to the procedure for miscarriage, to stop heavy bleeding. If you do not plan to provide this procedure yourself, you must have made arrangements with someone who will and provide this contact information to your patient. Other side effects that may occur include nausea, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, fatigue and back pain,” said the letter.
See a copy of the letter at: https://www.fda.gov/medwatch/SAFETY/2002/mifeprex_deardoc.PDF