WASHINGTON – Two more women who took the abortion pill RU-486 have died, according to federal drug regulators who are investigating whether the same rare infection that caused four earlier deaths was responsible.
In announcing the two additional cases Friday, the Food and Drug Administration issued an alert urging doctors and patients to follow approved directions for the drug, which is used in combination with another medication, misoprostol, and look for warning signs or symptoms warranting immediate attention.
The agency did not provide further details about the two deaths, which followed reports that four women in California had died from septic shock since 2003 after undergoing medical abortions, as the procedure for using RU-486 is called.
Planned Parenthood Federation of America reacted by saying it would immediately alter its procedures for administering the drug.
The group had been recommending that women take the second drug vaginally instead of orally, a widespread practice that is generally believed to be more effective, but not what the FDA recommends. The four California women had also taken the drug vaginally.
According to the FDA, reports of fatal infections in women taking RU-486 are “very rare” – about 1 in every 100,000 cases. Studies show that the procedure is safer than giving birth.
The FDA is meeting with the Centers for Disease Control and National Institutes of Health on May 11 to review the deaths associated with RU-486, sold as Mifeprex. Investigators are trying to determine whether use of the drug makes women vulnerable to infection.
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