In April 1980, as part of a formal research project at the French pharmaceutical companyĀ Roussel-Uclaf for the development of glucocorticoid receptor antagonists, chemist Georges Teutsch synthesized mifepristone (RU-38486, the 38,486th compound synthesized by Roussel-Uclaf from 1949 to 1980; shortened to RU-486), which was discovered to also be a progesterone receptor antagonist.Ā In October 1981, endocrinologistĀ Ćtienne-Ćmile Baulieu, a consultant to Roussel-Uclaf, arranged tests of its use for medical abortion in 11 women inĀ SwitzerlandĀ by gynecologist Walter Herrmann at theĀ University of Geneva’s Cantonal Hospital, with successful results announced on April 19, 1982.Ā On …
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