A 2005 FDA (Food and Drug Administration) report revealed that four women died of septic shock or sepsis after using Mifeprex (RU-486), otherwise known as the abortion pill. An FDA warning was issued on July 19, 2005, requiring the FDA’s highest level of warning, a black box warning informing health care providers that infections have occurred after patients have used Mifeprex (RU-486). The drug was approved for use in the United States in 2000.
Women who have taken Mifeprex have suffered from serious infections, including sepsis or septic shock, an often deadly bloodstream infection. Concerns were raised about the safety of Mifeprex when four California women died of sepsis, caused by the same bacterium, Clostridium sordelli, a bacterium not usually associated with disease. Fears have been expressed that Mifeprex might make patients unusually susceptible to that infection, but no causal relationship has yet been established between Mifeprex and septic shock.
Patients using Mifeprex and health care providers prescribing and administering it should watch for symptoms of infection including:
Patients and health care providers should also be aware that deadly sepsis or septic shock can be present without a fever or abdominal pain.
Any patient who has excessive bleeding after using Mifeprex that is equivalent to soaking through 2 full-sized sanitary pads per hour for 2 hours, should seek immediate emergency care.
Both patients and providers should be aware that Mifeprex is not effective for terminating ectopic pregnancies (pregnancies outside the uterus) and every care should be taken to make sure that a patient does not have an ectopic pregnancy before Mifeprex is administered.
If you have suffered injury after using Mifeprex from septic shock, infection, excessive bleeding or an ectopic pregnancy, you may be able to recover damages. You can consult a Mifeprex attorney to evaluate your case.
Check out the following articles for more information about Mifeprex, filing a Mifeprex lawsuit and finding a Mifeprex attorney.