Searle's Cytotec (misoprostol)

Abortifacient side effect was subject of Nov. 3 meeting between FDA Commissioner Young and representatives of the National Right to Life Committee. A Sept. 15 Gastrointestinal Drugs Advisory Committee recommended approval for Cytotec for the prevention of stomach ulcers in patients taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory arthritis drugs. At the meeting, the panel rejected Searle's proposal that Cytotec be contraindicated for women of childbearing age ("The Pink Sheet" Sept. 19, p. 3). The Right to Lifers maintain that a prominent warning label may encourage use of Cytotec as an abortifacient. Young has scheduled a December staff meeting to review the group's concerns....