At present, RU486 is only licensed for use in France, Britain and Sweden. It is being tested in other countries, including the United States, with the objective of marketing it extensively over the next several years. Nearly half of the French women polled report that they find this verification process disturbing. A few doctors have recently used the drugs to induce abortion, while the Food and Drug Administration has approved the drugs to treat cancer and ulcers. Both drugs act on a woman's reproductive system.
Methotrexate interferes with the vitamin folic acid and kills rapidly growing cells.
Methotrexate is a toxic drug that is normally administered by doctors experienced with anti-metabolite therapy. Toxic effects such as nausea, pain, diarrhea, bone marrow depression, anemia, liver damage and lung disease are noted as occurring even at low doses. Misoprostol causes uterine contractions and is sometimes used off-label to soften the cervix when inducing labor. The women receive an injection of methotrexate and return 5 to 7 days later to receive the misoprostol vaginally. The women return home, where cramping and bleeding begins and the baby is usually aborted within twenty-four hours.