FDA Approves Ella, a 5-Mornings-After Contraception Pill

(Aug. 13) -- If the morning-after contraception pill Plan B proved controversial, the newly approved "ella" should prove five times as much.

The Food and Drug administration today gave the green light to ella, which boasts of being able to prevent unwanted pregnancies for up to five days after sexual intercourse.

Also known by its generic name, ulipristal acetate, ella, like RU-486, blocks progesterone activity in a woman's body, The Washington Post reported, thereby delaying the ovaries from producing an egg. While that suppression means that, in most cases, sperm will never have the chance to fertilize the egg, in some cases fertilization will occur, but the heightened level of progesterone will make the uterus inhospitable. Because of that, anti-abortion critics of the pill say that it could terminate existing pregnancies.

In a press release Friday, Planned Parenthood applauded the FDA's decision to allow ella to be marketed.

"Per FDA protocol, clinical trials were conducted, and ella was proven to be equally effective throughout the five days after unprotected intercourse, thus expanding women's reproductive health care options."

Ella will be marketed in the United States by Watson Pharmaceuticals, which calls the drug an "emergency contraceptive." Available only by prescription, so far, there's no word on the price, but ella should hit shelves later this year.