Justyna Dymek, Anna Gołda, Elżbieta Żmudzka, Wioletta Polak, Agnieszka Skowron

Decision-making process during pharmaceutical consultation when dispensing emergency contraception with ulipristal acetate
2024-06-26

The safety and efficacy of products containing ulipristal acetate used for emergency contraception depends on the circumstances surrounding the intake of the medication, including, comorbidities, other medications used, as well as the time elapsed since unprotected intercourse. A pharmaceutical interview and pharmaceutical consultation conducted by a pharmacist may contribute to the improvement of the safety and efficacy of medications containing ulipristal acetate. Thus, according to pharmacists’ opinion, appropriate treatment algorithms could be a useful tool in daily practice that could in turn ensure the proper quality of the consultation for the purpose of emergency contraception. The algorithm should be based on current and adequate documents and publications.

The aim of the study is to 1) develop a procedure used when deciding whether to dispense a medication containing ulipristal acetate from a pharmacy and 2) to indicate the educational aspects necessary to be addressed during this type of pharmaceutical consultation.

The current summary of product characteristics for the medicine ellaOne (a product containing 30 mg of ulipristal acetate) available on the European Medicines Agency (EMA) website was used to select the critical issues related to the safety and efficacy of this product. Afterwards, an algorithm was developed to help the pharmacist decide whether to dispense ellaOne. The algorithm contains, among others, questions about the time elapsed since unprotected intercourse, comorbidities, other medications used by the patient and additional symptoms (related to the pregnancy or previous exposure to ulipristal acetate). The paper also presents the most critical educational issues that a pharmacist should provide when dispensing the medicine from the pharmacy (e.g., after vomiting shortly after ellaOne use, the effect of the drug on the subsequent menstrual bleeding or the role of regular birth control method).

The algorithm ensures that the critical issues regarding the safe use of ellaOne will not be overlooked by the pharmacist thus facilitating a pharmaceutical consultation when dispensing emergency contraception with ulipristal acetate.

Keywords: pharmacist, ulipristal acetate, pharmaceutical consultation, postcoital contraception, algoritm.

© Farm Pol, 2024, 80(2): 111–120