Sterilization pellets seek contraceptive credibility
Family Planning World 3(6): 1 7
1993
PMID: 12319105 Document Number: 333804
The use of a pellet form of quinacrine hydrochloride to achieve sterilization has been tested in 32,000 women in Viet Nam. The tests resulted in 818 pregnancies, no deaths, and 8 serious complications. Similar Vietnamese trials using surgical sterilization would have resulted in 30 deaths and between 540 and 1812 serious complications. The current method of application is insertion into the uterus which causes scarring of the fallopian tubes. Proponents of this method point to its low cost (2 insertions cost less than US $1), its safety, its effectiveness, and the fact that it avoids costly surgery which is not universally available anyway. Critics note that the method requires multiple (2 or 3) visits to the clinic to achieve total blockage and that the chemical has failed toxicological trials by the US Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization. Clinical trials are also underway in Chile and in Pakistan, where researchers are using a one-time insertion method which involves 7 quinacrine pellets and 3 doses of Brugen, a related drug. Initial results from the Pakistani study show a 1% failure rate. To date, nearly 100,000 women worldwide have used this method, and it is hoped that these longterm human tests will resolve the controversy surrounding this drug.