Clinical Management of Rape and Intimate Partner Violence in Emergencies

Clinical Management of Rape and Intimate Partner Violence in Emergencies

October 2025. World Health Organization’s (WHO) toolkit on Clinical Management of Rape and Intimate Partner Violence in Emergencies: Training Curriculum for Health Workers and Facilitator Guide is now available in Arabic, French, and Spanish here. Session 11, focused on clinical treatment and care for survivors of sexual assault, includes guidance on the provision of ulipristal…

UPA and LNG EC pills in WHO’s List of Essential Medicines

October 2025 — Last September, the World Health Organization (WHO) published the 24th Model List of Essential Medicines (EML). Levonorgestrel (LNG) emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) have been included in the EML since 1999, and ulipristal acetate (UPA) ECPs since 2017, underscoring their continued importance in ensuring access to safe and effective reproductive health options. Essential…

Japan: Historic switch for emergency contraception

October 2025. Today, ASKA Pharmaceutical, the marketing authorization holder of Japan’s only emergency contraceptive pill (ECP), announced it has received official approval to make the product available over the counter (OTC). This means people in Japan will soon be able to obtain emergency contraception directly from pharmacies without a prescription. This marks a historic milestone…

ECEC issues statement in support of Polish doctor prosecuted for prescribing EC

ECEC issues statement in support of Polish doctor prosecuted for prescribing EC

October 9, 2025 – The European Consortium for Emergency Contraception (ECEC) has issued a statement expressing full support for Dr. Jarosław Górnicki, a Polish physician under review by the Ministry of Health and the Medical Council for prescribing emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) to women in need. Since 2017, when Poland reinstated the prescription requirement for…

Webinar collaboration

October 2005. ECEC is pleased to collaborate with the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and the International Federation of Abortion and Contraception Professionals (FIAPAC) on the webinar:  Expanding mifepristone availability to improve access to medical abortion: three case studies, taking place on October 16 at 14:00 CET. The webinar is an invitation to think about how to…

England: Pharmacy Contraception Service to include emergency contraception

October 2025. Provision of free-of-charge emergency contraceptive pills through the Pharmacy Contraception Service (PCS) is scheduled to begin in October 2025. The English government announced this measure in April 2025 as part of efforts to ensure equal access to safe and effective contraception across the country. The expansion has been described as “crucial to women’s…

2024 Contraceptive Social Marketing Statistics Report

2024 Contraceptive Social Marketing Statistics Report

October 2025. The Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition (RHSC) has published the latest Contraceptive Social Marketing Statistics Report, which compiles 2024 sales data on contraceptives and safe abortion supplies from social marketing programs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) worldwide. A key finding shows rising use of emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs): over 47 million units were…

Journal of Adolescent Health: Strategies to improve timely access to EC

October 2025. A new position paper in the Journal of Adolescent Health underscores the critical role of emergency contraception (EC) in preventing unintended pregnancies among adolescents and young adults (AYAs). While EC is safe and effective, it remains underused due to barriers such as cost, access, and confidentiality. The authors call for youth-centered strategies to…

Japan to approve Behind-the-Counter access to EC

Japan to approve Behind-the-Counter access to EC

September 2025 (updated October 2025). According to local news outlets, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has approved the switch of levonorgestrel (LNG) emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) from prescription to behind-the-counter (BTC) status. This change should be part of the country’s revision of the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices (PMD) Act, and take effect in…

Uso repetido de las píldoras anticonceptivas de emergencia (PAE). Resumen de recomendaciones

Uso repetido de las píldoras anticonceptivas de emergencia (PAE). Resumen de recomendaciones

Septiembre 2025. ECEC acaba de publicar Uso repetido de las píldoras anticonceptivas de emergencia. Resumen de las recomendaciones actuales, sobre el uso repetido de las PAE de levonorgestrel y de acetato de ulipristal. El resumen se basa en las recomendaciones de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) y de la Faculty of Sexual &…

Reclassification request for ulipristal acetate EC pills raises concerns in Italy

July 2025. In February 2025, an organization in Italy submitted a formal request to reclassify emergency contraceptive pills with ulipristal acetate (UPA). The request cited findings from a proof-of-concept study that explored the potential use of UPA for medical abortion. Since becoming available without prescription in 2015, UPA emergency contraception has played a significant role…

Russia: Mifepristone EC pills no longer available in pharmacies

July 2025. In April, ECEC reported on new restrictions affecting the use of mifepristone in Russia, impacting both medical abortion and emergency contraception (EC). Now, the independent Russian media outlet Vyorstka has investigated the real-world availability of mifepristone-based EC pills. After contacting six major pharmacy chains and reviewing online retailers, they found that the two most…