China Bans RU 486 Abortion Drug

October 27, 2001—Beijing, China: China's State Drug Administration recently issued a notice ordering pharmacies in the country to stop issuing dosages of mifepristone, an abortion-inducing drug.

"In order to guarantee patients' safety and protect their health, it is decided that no matter whether patients have a doctor's prescription or not, retail drug stores are forbidden to sell mifepristone tablets," the notice said, according to the Oct. 9 Beijing Chenbao (Beijing Morning Post).

The newspaper said that some Beijing-area hospitals have reported treating women suffering dangerous side effects from the mifepristone abortion drug.

In October of last year, the Los Angeles Times reported that Shanghai Hua Lian Pharmaceutical Co., the Chinese manufacturer of mifepristone, had been cited by the U.S. House Commerce Committee for "bringing mislabeled and impure drugs into the United States."