The letter also declared that because the drug is misbranded, it cannot be exported legally.
Quinacrine pellets are small and inexpensive to produce.
When inserted into a woman's uterus close to the fallopian tubes with a modified IUD applicator they dissolve into quinacrine hydrochloride, a powerful acid. The resulting chemical burns are supposed to sterilize the woman by scarring the fallopian tubes and surrounding tissue. Local and international media reports imply that the Health Ministry of Ecuador is backing away from the definition of pregnancy as beginning at conception. There was no information about why the health ministry had rolled back the legal protection from the moment of conception to the time of implantation. According to the report, Representative Casimiro Padilla, from Camarines Norte, introduced the legislation, but abortion opponents vowed a strong fight.