Mifepristone as emergency contraception: New Cochrane review
September 2026. A new Cochrane review, published on 21 September 2026, adds to the evidence on the effectiveness and safety of mifepristone when used as emergency contraception (EC). The review found that both low- and medium-dose mifepristone EC pills (<25 mg and 25–50 mg, respectively) probably result in fewer pregnancies than levonorgestrel EC. Cochrane
Despite the available evidence, access to mifepristone for EC remains extremely limited. ECEC’s global monitoring shows that dedicated low-dose mifepristone EC products are currently available only in China and Vietnam. In 2025, ECEC documented the discontinuation of mifepristone EC products in Armenia, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine.
ECEC’s open-access Emergency Contraceptive Pills Database provides country-level information on the availability of levonorgestrel, ulipristal acetate and mifepristone EC pills and is regularly updated as new information becomes available.
Read the review here:
- Ramanadhan S, Edelman A, Che Y, Paynter RA, Hersh A, Henderson JT. Mifepristone versus other interventions for the prevention of pregnancy in reproductive-age women using emergency contraception. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2026, Issue 9. Art. No.: CD016275. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD016275.
