New fix for fibroids
If you have fibroids-benign tumors in the uterus that can cause pain, bleeding and fatigue-you may soon have a new solution: RU-486, also known as the abortion pill. Most fibroids feed on hormones, explains lead study author Kevin Fiscella MD: “Low-dose RU-486 blocks progesterone, causing fibroids to shrink by roughly 50% over six months.” The quality of life improvements for women who took RU-486 are on a par with uterine embolization, a surgical procedure in which doxtors block the arteries that supply the uterus with blood. Costs weren’t compared, but drugs are often cheaper and less debilitating than surgery. Typically, study results this promising would prompt doctors to start prescribing the drug off-label. But RU-486 is so controlversial the FDA won’t permit it to be used that way. That’s why Fiscella would like to conduct a larger trial, the next step toward FDA approval for this newly proposed use.