Medical abortion: A practice tool for pharmacists

Abortion has been legal in Canada since 1969.1 As many as 1 in 3 women will have an abortion, and until recently, surgical abortion (SA) was their only option.2 In 2015, Health Canada approved the use of mifepristone/misoprostol (MIFE/MISO) for medical abortion (MA), thus improving access to abortion services.3 It is important to note that improved access to abortion services does not mean that more abortions occur.1 In fact, abortion rates remained the same after the approval of medical abortion. The only change is that a larger proportion of abortions are provided through MA compared to a SA. For example, France has had access to MIFE since 1988, and MA is a more popular method of abortion than SA.4 In 2017, Health Canada made several changes to make MIFE/MISO more accessible, such as extending its approved use from 49 days of pregnancy (7 weeks) to 63 days (9 weeks) and removing the training requirements to prescribe or dispense MIFE/MISO.3 Many Canadian provinces are further increasing access by covering the cost of the medications under their respective provincial public drug plans