HRA Pharma has announced that ellaOne (ulipristal acetate, 30mg), its new generation emergency contraceptive, has been launched in France, Germany and the UK via local HRA teams. HRA Pharma will progressively launch ellaOne in all European countries over the coming months.
The company said that ellaOne is the first representative of a new therapeutic class, selective progesterone receptor modulators, and is the first molecule to have been designed and developed for use as an oral emergency contraceptive.
Reportedly, clinical trials performed on more than 4000 women have shown that a single dose of ellaOne significantly reduces the number of pregnancies versus the number of expected pregnancies in absence of emergency contraception.
The company claims that ellaOne is different from currently used levonorgestrel-based emergency contraceptives, in that it maintains efficacy for 5 days after unprotected intercourse while its safety and tolerability profile has been demonstrated to be comparable to that of levonorgestrel.
Erin Gainer, CEO of HRA Pharma, said: “The European launch of ellaOne is the result of more than 10 years of research and development and represents an important milestone, as it is the first licensed product to have been specifically designed and developed for use as an oral emergency contraceptive.”