Already marketed in France, the United Kingdom and Germany, the morning after pill could soon arrive in the U.S. under the name Ella.
After evaluating the pill, health authorities have determined that this emergency contraceptive is effective and has no unexpected side effects. An advisory committee will now discuss how it will be marketed.
This pill can be taken up to five days after having unprotected sex. Tests were conducted on 4,771 women who reported common side effects like nausea, headache, abdominal and menstrual pain, fatigue and dizziness.
The most serious and most rare side effects recorded, like kidney infections and cyst ruptures, did not appear to be related to treatment.
Apparently, the tests show that the drug is indeed still effective after five days.
There is one downside, though; experts wonder about the possible effects on the fetus if the pregnancy continues despite having taken the pill.