New, potentially more awesome emergency contraceptive to be reviewed by FDA

Some good news about the new form of emergency contraception we blogged about a few months ago. ellaOne, which can be taken up to a whopping five days after sex, is hopefully following Europe’s footsteps (where it’s already approved) and will be reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration next week, reports USA Today.
While the U.S.’s currently approved Plan B can be taken up to 3 days after unprotected sex, its effectiveness decreases over the 72 hour time period. Apparently ellaOne (or ulipristal acetat) is consistently effective if taken at any point within the 120 hour period it’s ingested, making it, as Salon says, “a several-mornings-after” pill. In short, it’s kind of a big deal.
The only thing we have to worry about is pressure — not surprisingly — coming from anti-choice folks, who are equating ellaOne with the abortion pill (just as they do Plan B). Let’s hope the FDA doesn’t buy the hype, because it sounds like this could be an even more effective way for women to prevent, not abort, pregnancy.
Via.