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. 2024 Jun 5;20(Suppl 1):193.
doi: 10.1186/s12978-024-01774-5.

Landscape assessment of the availability of medical abortion medicines in India

Priya Karna  1 , K Aparna Sharma  2 , Amy Grossman  3 , Madhur Gupta  1 , Tapas Chatterjee  1 , Natalie Williams  3 , Ndola Prata  3   4 , Annik Sorhaindo  5 , Laurence Läser  6 , Ulrika Rehnström Loi  5 , Bela Ganatra  5 , Pushpa Chaudhary  1
Affiliations

Landscape assessment of the availability of medical abortion medicines in India

Priya Karna et al. Reprod Health. .

Abstract

Background: Medical abortion with mifepristone and misoprostol can be provided up to 63 days' gestation in India. This accounts for 67.5 percent of all abortions in the country. We conducted an assessment to determine the availability of medical abortion medicines, specifically the combi-pack, in India.

Methods: We applied the World Health Organization landscape assessment protocol at the national level. The assessment protocol included a five-step adaptation of an existing availability framework, including online data collection, desk review, country-level key informant interviews, and an analysis to identify barriers and opportunities to improve medical abortion availability. The assessment was conducted between August and March 2021.

Results: Medicines for medical abortion are included in the national essential drug list and available with prescription in India. The assessment identified 42 combi-pack products developed by 35 manufacturers. The quality of medical abortion medicines is regulated by national authorities; but as health is devolved to states, there are significant inter-state variations. This is seen across financing, procurement, manufacturing, and monitoring mechanisms for quality assurance of medical abortion medicines prior to distribution. There is a need to strengthen supply chain systems, ensure consistent availability of trained providers and build community awareness on use of medical abortion medicines for early abortions, at the time of the assessment.

Conclusion: Opportunities to improve availability and quality of medical abortion medicines exist. For example, uniform implementation of regulatory standards, greater emphasis on quality-assurance during manufacturing, and standardizing of procurement and supply chain systems across states. Regular in-service training of providers on medical abortion is required. Finally, innovations in evidence dissemination and community engagement about the recently amended abortion law are needed.

Keywords: Abortion; Assessment; Availability; Combi-pack; India; Mifepristone; Misoprostol; Quality.

Plain language summary

Medical abortion is popular in India and benefits from a liberal legal context. It is important to understand the availability of quality abortion medicines in the country. Using the World Health Organization country assessment protocol and availability framework for medical abortion medicines we examined the availability of these medicines from supply to demand. We used this information to identify opportunities for increasing availability of quality-assured medical abortion medicines. We found that the context for medical abortion varies across states. Strengthening procurement and supply chain management, with a greater emphasis on quality-assurance and regulation of manufacturing should be instituted at the state-level. Training is also needed to increase provider knowledge of the latest national guidelines and laws to ensure respectful and person-centered services. Finally, the public should be informed about medical abortion as a safe and effective choice, especially for early abortions.

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Conflict of interest statement

None declared.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The five pillars of availability of a service related to a medical. Source: Rehnström Loi, U., Prata, N., Grossman, A. et al. In-country availability of medical abortion medicines: a description of the framework and methodology of the WHO landscape assessments. Reprod Health 20 (Suppl 1), 20 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-022-01530-7
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References

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