A research agenda for moving early medical pregnancy termination over the counter.

Abstract

Given the overall safety profile and increasing availability of medical pregnancy termination drugs, we asked: would the mifepristone–misoprostol regimen for medical termination at ≤10 weeks of gestation meet US Food and Drug Administration regulatory criteria for over‐the‐counter (OTC) approval, and if not, what are the present research gaps? We conducted a literature review of consumer behaviours necessary for a successful OTC application for medical termination at ≤10 weeks of gestation and identified crucial research gaps. If we were to embark on a development programme for OTC or more generally, self‐use of medical termination, the critical elements missing are the label comprehension, self‐selection and actual use studies.Tweetable abstractConsidering medical pregnancy termination through the over‐the‐counter regulatory lens clarifies critical evidence gaps.