Japan reports 1,440 abortions by pill 1 year after introduction

KYODO NEWS
Mar 1, 2025

An oral abortion pill was used in 1,440 cases in Japan in fiscal 2023 after its sales were approved that April, making up a small share of the more than 120,000 abortions performed that year, a government report showed.

With sexual and reproductive health rights in focus ahead of International Women's Day on March 8, some health experts say the "Mefeego Pack" still has a long way to go before becoming a widely used option in Japan, where approval came nearly 40 years after France became the first country to authorize such a drug.

Continued: https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2025/03/d88e9dc77b0d-japan-reports-1440-abortions-by-pill-1-year-after-introduction.html

01.03.2025

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Linepharma International

Japan’s First Abortion Pill Is Here — and Elusive

By Kanoko Matsuyama
June 19, 2023

Japan approved its first abortion pill in April, decades after countries like the US and France, for use by women who are up to nine weeks pregnant.

The green light finally gives Japanese women an option to abort pregnancy without surgery, and empowers our rights in a country ranked 116th in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report last year — near Burkina Faso and Tajikistan — and where women must consult with doctors to get oral contraceptives.

But it’s hard for us to be overjoyed about our progress, as access to the treatment is highly restricted.

Continued: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2023-06-19/japan-s-first-abortion-pill-is-here-and-elusive

Less than 2 in 10 Canadian women are very knowledgeable about their abortion options, according to Ipsos Survey

Canadian women have their say on abortion options, access and knowledge

POSTED ON MAY 24, 2023
Linepharma International

TORONTO, May 24, 2023 – Women’s reproductive rights, sexual health, and abortion are regular topics of discussion worldwide leading up to and since the overturn of Roe v. Wade in the United States in June 2022 ending a landmark ruling that protected the constitutional right to abortion in the US. When it comes to abortion access and freedom of choice, Canadian women are very clear that they want to make their own choice when it comes to reproductive rights.

Abortion is one of the most common healthcare needs in Canada, with an estimated one in three1 Canadian women having an abortion in their lifetime. Whether opting for a medication abortion, commonly referred to as the abortion pill (Mifegymiso) taken at home, which was approved in 2015, or a surgical abortion performed in a hospital or clinic setting, both options are safe, legal in Canada, and fully covered by provincial health care plans.

Continued: https://www.linepharma.com/less-than-2-in-10-canadian-women-are-very-knowledgeable-about-their-abortion-options-according-to-ipsos-survey/

Mefeego Pack approved as 1st abortion pill in Japan

April 28, 2023
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's health ministry approved Friday for the first time the sale of an oral abortion pill, giving women in early pregnancy an alternative to the surgical procedure.

The pill, called Mefeego Pack developed by British pharmaceutical company Linepharma International Ltd., can terminate a pregnancy of up to 9 weeks of gestation, and is considered safer than the surgical abortions that have been used hereto.

Continued: https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20230428/p2g/00m/0sc/071000c

28.04.2023

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Linepharma International

Canada – National abortion pill shortage pinpoints access issues in Sask.

A temporary shortage of the sole available medication for a medical abortion has once again highlighted concerns about access in Sask.

Larissa Kurz
Dec 29, 2022

Saskatchewan sexual health advocates are reiterating concerns about abortion access, after weathering a recent Canada-wide supply shortage of Mifegymiso — known as the abortion pill — that affected the country throughout December.

Supply chains in Canada went on pause at the end of November, with a shortage of the medication declared the first week of December by manufacturer Linepharma.

Continued: https://leaderpost.com/news/saskatchewan/national-abortion-pill-shortage-pinpoints-access-issues-in-sask

29.12.2022

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Abortion pill: Why Japanese women will need their partner’s consent to get a tablet

By Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, BBC News, Tokyo
Aug 30, 2022

While debate still rages in the US over the repeal of Roe v Wade, a much less noisy argument is unfolding in Japan over the legalisation of so-called medically induced abortions.

In May, a senior health ministry official told parliament it was finally set to approve an abortion pill manufactured by British pharmaceutical company Linepharma International. But he also said that women will still need to "gain the consent of their partner" before the pills can be administered - a stipulation pro-choice campaigners have called patriarchal and outdated.

Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-62515356

Legalising abortion pill only half the battle for women in Japan

Akanksha Khullar
5 Jun, 2022

More than three decades after the abortion pill first became available, legislation to approve the drug is winding its way through Japan’s parliament. The move follows an application last year by British pharmaceutical company Linepharma International to market medication for terminating pregnancies in the country.

An important question needs to be raised here: to what extent can Japan’s new legislation – which is likely to be approved by the end of the year – be described as a laudable step towards improving women's’ rights in the country?

Continued: https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3180280/legalising-abortion-pill-only-half-battle-women-japan

Japan to approve abortion pill – but partner’s consent will be required

Delay in approving pill, and the possible $780 cost, reflect priorities of male-dominated parliament, say critics

Justin McCurry in Tokyo
Tue 31 May 2022

Women in Japan could be forced to seek their partner’s consent before being prescribed the abortion pill, which will reportedly be approved late this year – three decades after it was made available to women in the UK.

Under Japan’s 1948 Maternal Protection Law, consent is already required for surgical abortions – with very few exceptions – a policy that campaigners say tramples over women’s reproductive rights.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/31/japan-to-approve-abortion-pill-but-partners-consent-will-be-required

British firm to seek approval for abortion pill in Japan

The Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan Times
November 21, 2021

British pharmaceutical company Linepharma plans to apply to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry for approval of the abortion pill in late December, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Approval is expected within a year if the review process goes smoothly. It would be the first orally consumed abortion pill, or medication abortion, available in Japan, and is expected to help reduce the related physical and mental burden on women.

Continued: https://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0008015494

21.11.2021

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South Korea – Regulator cautious about approving abortion drug Mifegymiso

Kim Chan-hyuk
Published 2021.07.12

Hyundai Pharm recently applied for marketing approval for Mifegymiso, an abortion pill, but the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) remained passive to accelerate the review process.

Industry watchers are questioning why the regulator has reversed its stance after promising accelerated approval for the drug.

Continued: http://www.koreabiomed.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=11609

12.07.2021