No prescription needed for the morning-after pill that works FIVE days later

A MORNING-after pill that works for up to five days after sex has been quietly rolled out in pharmacies across the UK.

The powerful pill, called ellaOne, had only been trialled in some chemists before now.

But last month, without fanfare, it was introduced in pharmacies across the country after a change in European Union licensing laws.

EllaOne can be taken longer after sex than the conventional morning-after pill, which is effective for three days.

The single £30 pill works by thickening the entrance of the womb, preventing sperm from entering and fertilising the egg if taken within days of sex.

The drug has courted controversy in the past over fears that it will encourage unprotected sex among girls, leading to higher rates of promiscuity and sexually transmitted infections.

Some critics have said that the pill – available free for under-25s in certain areas – was the equivalent of an early abortion.

Mark Bhagwandin, of the charity Life, said: ‘Powerful pills like these are going to do nothing to curb extremely high rates of STIs among teenagers.

‘The five- day pill will only have the effect of lulling teenagers into a false sense of security, convincing them that they are fine to have unprotected sex followed by emergency contraception.

‘We have to address high levels of STIs, and the five- day pill does not help things.’

But Tony Fraser, managing director of HRA Pharma, which makes the pill, hailed its introduction to chemists across the country as ‘great news for women’.

He told BBC’s Newsbeat yesterday: ‘One of the reasons we haven’t gone out to get media attention is because what we want to do first is get the product into pharmacies, and roll out a training package to pharmacists in the UK.

‘We wanted to make sure pharmacists are aware of what they are doing in terms of bringing another morningafter pill into the consultation that women have.’

Mr Fraser added that ellaOne is most effective if taken as soon as possible after having unprotected sex.

Earlier clinical trials found that women who took the pill 24 hours after unprotected sex reduced their chances of getting pregnant to nine in 1,000.

Women who take the standard three- day pill reduced chances to 23 in 1,000, and those who used no contraception had a 55 in 1,000 chance of getting pregnant.

While the ellaOne pill tries to prevent fertilisation, if a woman takes it on the third, fourth or fifth day after sex, a fertilised egg may already be trying to implant itself in the womb.

But the pill makes the lining of the womb unstable so it cannot implant. It will then break down and be passed out during the woman’s next period.