Ellaone, a prescription-only emergency contraceptive pill which was launched in Britain in October 2009, can effectively reduce the chances of unwanted pregnancy, even if it is taken 5 days, or 120 hours, after unprotected sex.

With five days being the length of time for which sperms can survive in a woman’s body, the newly-licensed Ellaone pill - also called ulipristal acetate (UA) – has been specifically developed to help avoid unwanted pregnancy during the ‘risky’ period after unprotected sex. Experts opine that, within 2-3 years, Ellaone could be available over the counter from chemists.

The effective of the new pill is corroborated by the statistics brought forth by studies, published in the medical journal Lancet, which reveal that that vis-à-vis the current morning after pill levonorgestrel, which needs to be taken within 72 hours, the changes of pregnancy are reduced by 50 percent with Ellaone.

Furthermore, if Ellaone is taken within 24 hours, it cut reduce the risk of pregnancy by nearly two-thirds as compared to levonorgestrel.

Terming the availability of Ellaone as “exciting news” due to its longer time frame, Ann Furedi, CEO of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, said that most women who could benefit from the pill might not be able to do so because, priced at £17, it is “significantly more expensive to buy than the traditional ‘morning after pill’, which costs around £6.