Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights welcomes the CADTH Canadian Drug Expert Committee’s final recommendation on the newly approved abortion pill known as Mifegymiso in Canada (a combination of Mifepristone and Misoprostol). The expert committee recommends provincial and territorial cost reimbursement of Mifegymiso.
After the recommendation was made public yesterday, Alberta joined New Brunswick in becoming the second Canadian province to commit to universal cost coverage of Mifegymiso through provincial health care. Mifegymiso is the World Health Organization’s gold standard for medical abortion and has been on its list of essential drugs for over a decade. Mifegymiso has been used for over 30 years with an outstanding safety and efficacy record and is available in over 60 countries around the world.
Patient populations in the studies undertaken for the CADTH review had a gestational age of up to 56 to 63 days (8 to 9 weeks) rather than the 49 days (7 weeks) limitation set by Health Canada. Mifegymiso is available up to 9-weeks gestation in the US, UK, and Scotland, among other countries, and up to 12-weeks in Norway.
Action Canada calls once again on all provincial and territorial governments to promptly ensure that the cost of medication abortion is covered under public health care. We also recognize the number of individuals who require abortion between 7 and 9 weeks and call on Health Canada to increase the 7-week gestational limit restrictions to 9 weeks, as reviewed by the expert committee.
Real choice requires real access! #RealAccessNow