Cosan to begin Swiss sales of abortion pill

Cosan GmbH is to begin marketing the abortion pill Mifegyne(mifepristone) following the rejection of the Swiss drug regulatory board of an appeal by two pro-life groups objecting to registration of the product.

The regulatory body ruled that the Swiss Assistance for Mother and Child and the Swiss Association Yes to Life had no legal right to appeal the drug's registration. The company will distribute mifepristone through an agreement with Paris, France-based Exelgyn, which has approval to commercialize the drug in several European countries.

After a complaint was filed in September charging that mifepristone's approval was illegal in Switzerland because abortion was prohibited in principal, Cosan delayed selling the drug. The firm, which received a marketing license in July, had originally planned a launch in early October.