A Shanghai-based Chinese state firm, Hua Lian Pharmaceuticals, will manufacture and supply the controversial abortion drug RU-486 for the US market. The decision to import the drug from China is being kept a closely guarded secret with the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) officials declining to either confirm or deny the development, according to Washington Post. The name and location of the plant are being shielded not by Chinese authorities, but by the FDA, which two weeks ago approved the sale of the abortion pill which offers an alternative to surgical abortion.
Supporters of RU-486 have for years sought a manufacturer to produce it for the US market, ever since boycott threats by anti-abortion activists led the drug's French developers to renounce US production in 1992. For eight years, no pharmaceutical company would develop it for sale in the United States, says the Post.
So, when the FDA announced it had approved the sale of RU-486, it took the unprecedented step of refusing to disclose the name or location of the manufacturer, citing concerns about employee safety and security. The drug's US distributor, Danco laboratories, also refused to identify the firm.
Despite the reluctance of FDA sources to disclose the name or location of the manufacturer, several Chinese officials and the head of a Bangkok-based foundation that has worked closely with the company have confirmed that Hua Lian Pharmaceutical Co will produce the drug for the United States.
Bureau Report