‘Dangerous’ and cheap abortion pills are being sold to Americans on eBay after Roe V Wade was overturned.
DailyMail.com found dozens of listings for tablets costing as little as $20 per course, most of which appeared to be made in, or shipped from, India.
Nearly all were marketed as ‘pregnancy kits’, likely to avoid being detected by eBay’s prescription drug policy banning their sale on the platform.
The sellers claimed the kits contained mifepristone and misoprostol – two drugs that make up the standard prescription abortion prescribed by doctors in the US.
Experts told DailyMail.com that many women may turn to these pills as states roll back abortion rights after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade last summer. Some states have floated the idea of banning these medications.
A prescription for the drugs can cost between $150 to $1,100 from reputable sellers, pushing some desperate women into turning towards the internet.
Dr Robert Fuller, an OBGYN at the University of Virginia, warned to DailyMail.com that these drugs could be falsified, contaminated with dangerous drugs or come in incorrect doses and there is no way a woman would know before taking them.
Anonymous sellers on eBay are selling abortion pills for between $15 to $20 per course. This is significantly cheaper than regulated drugs cost in the US, which can go for upwards of $1,000
There are dozens of sellers listing the drugs for between $15 to $30 per course. Some even sell the drugs in bulk for a discount
An eBay spokesperson told DailyMail.com that ‘These items are prohibited under eBay’s prescription drug policy and this listing will be removed. Sellers who violate eBay policies face consequences up to, and including, permanent suspension.’
They are sold for prices between $15 and $30 – with advertising photos showing the full five pill course of the drugs.
Some offered a discount if a person bought the drugs in bulk, which could indicate that they are being resoled in the US.
Many of the pages DailyMail.com inquired about have been taken down since eBay was reached out to for comment.
Sellers are anonymous, and a majority do not provide any information as to where they are located or how they are acquiring the drugs.
Some listed their location as India, while others in unnamed locations feature packaging with Hindi text.
Dr Fuller warned that the lack of oversight and information as to how the drugs are procured and handled leaves users at risk.
‘Getting these medications through alternative sources, one has to be very careful that they are not getting a fake medication,’ he said.
‘Some of the fake pills may not have safe ingredients in them.’
He added that nobody could guarantee that the medications are safe to use.
There is no way to determine if a woman is even receiving the pair of medications they think are dying.
The most popular products had hundreds of sales, with the highest seller found by DailyMail.com having been purchased 226 times.
Dr Sachiko Ozawa, an associate pharmacy professor at the University of North Carolina, told DailyMail.com that there is no way these drugs have been approved by US regulators.
Some, such as the seller mrunal_31 do mention in product descriptions that the products are being sold out of India, though.
The seller page is among those that has been banned since DailyMail.com approached eBay.
Pictures on marketplace pages are near-identical for many of these listings and packaging often includes Hindi text – further indicating they are being sold out of India.
Both experts advise against using any medications purchased from these online stores.
While the combination of mifepristone and misoprostol is safe and effective for a medication abortion, women who take too much of the drug could face severe side-effects.
Mifepristone is used first in the course of drugs. It is a hormone blocker that stops the pregnancy from continuing growing.
Many women will suffer nausea, vomiting or other symptoms, along with vaginal bleeding.
In some cases a woman may suffer heavy bleeding and will need to seek medical attention.
Dr Fuller said that overdosing on these drugs was near impossible, but taking a too-large dose could exacerbate these symptoms.
Misoprostol is to be taken 48 hours directly after taking a dose of mifepristone. This drug causes the uterus to empty and terminates the pregnancy within hours.
Dr Fuller explained that while a woman will likely experience cramping and other discomfort, not many severe side-effects are associated with misoprostol.
In some cases, a woman could receive another drug that is either less effective or useless for abortions, or not a high enough dose to spur termination of pregnancy.
‘The medications that are coming from India are obviously not going through FDA approval in the US,’ Dr Ozawa explained.
She also warns that no counseling is available to women who take drugs from these retailers.
A woman who receives a prescription for the drugs will have a doctor to get in contact with in case they suffer severe side effects or need additional advice.
Doctors often even have women take the first dose while under supervision.
In these cases, a woman will not have a doctor who knows exactly what the contents of the pills they took were in case they run into issues.
Dr Robert Fuller (left), an OBGYN at the University of Virginia, warned that these products could be fake or include an incorrect dose. Dr Sachiko Ozawa (right), an associate pharmacy professor at the University of North Carolina, warned that there are thousands of ‘rogue pharmacies’ operating outside of FDA oversight
‘[These] websites don’t always provide information of side effects, or guidance on when to seek further care,’ Dr Ozawa explained.
She continued: ‘there’s a huge amount of risks.’
Dr Fuller added that ‘these drugs do take time and do need to be taken in a certain way.’
Dr Ozawa fears that many women will not know this when buying the drugs. Because eBay is a household name, some Americans may trust the items on its market are legitimate.
She also notes that thousands of other websites are selling drugs like this. A 2012 report found between 30,000 and 35,000 ‘rogue pharmacies’ offering prescription drugs to Americans without approval.
These websites will sell controlled substances that a patient would need approval from a doctor to access directly to consumers.
While they are often at prices cheaper than prescriptions, they are also unregulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Regulators have attempted to crack down on these websites, but Dr Ozawa explains that this is tough since many are based outside of the US.
The FDA was approached for comment by DailyMail.com.
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk