Experts on Friday will deliberate whether to approve for the first time in Japan an oral, two-drug combination to induce an abortion, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry has announced.
In Japan, the practice of abortion has been limited to surgery, and if the ministry's expert committee approves the oral combination, it may provide a less burdensome option for women.
In late December 2021, the British pharmaceutical company Linepharma applied for approval to manufacture and market the medications as Mefeego Pack in Japan. The two drugs used in combination are mifepristone, a drug to block the hormone progesterone, which is needed to sustain a pregnancy, and misoprostol, a drug that causes the uterus to contract.
