The pill called Ellaone is twice as effective and offers a window period of up to five days compared to the three-day limit of the commonly used drug levonorgestrel.
The drug launched in Britain last year contains a synthetic version of female hormone progesterone and is available only on prescription.
The drug costs 16.96 pounds per tablet, three times the price of Levonorgestrel.
5500 women studied
To come up with this finding, a team of researchers working for the NHS Lothian in the city of Edinburgh carried out a study on 5500 women.
These women were randomly assigned to two groups; one group was given a single dose 30 mg Ellaone and the other received 175 mg Levonorgestrel within five days of unprotected sex.
According to experts, Ellaone delays the release an egg for fertilization rather than destroying an implanted embryo.
Ellaone limits pregnancy
The Ellaone group reported 15 pregnancies, while 22 women became pregnant in the Levonorgestrel group.
The morning-after pill was found to cut down 98 percent of the pregnancies when taken five days after sex, the researchers noted.
On the other hand, the original contraceptive drug is 95 percent effective if taken within 24 hours of sexual intercourse, but its effectiveness reduces to 58 percent after three days.
Ann Furedi, chief executive of the abortion charity the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), said, "This new type of emergency contraceptive pill is exciting news for those of us working to help women avoid unintended pregnancy. It offers a longer time window for use than the traditional emergency contraception pill.
Concerns raised
Critics argue that the new pill could give women a “false sense of security” and encourage a more casual attitude to sex.
They also claim that younger people could be at a greater risk of developing sexually transmitted diseases/infections by depending on this drug.
Josephine Quintavalle, of the Pro-Life Alliance said, “If you take a morning-after pill within 24 hours, there is always the argument that the sperm may not have fertilized the egg by then, meaning pregnancy has yet not happened.
“But if this pill works for five days there is no argument. This is not a contraceptive it is an abortive agent.”
While some are considering this discovery as ‘exciting news,’ others say that the drug should not be sold ‘over the counter’ until it establishes the safety record of traditional contraceptives.
The experts recommend that everyone should make sure that they have ongoing contraception as well as regularly visit their general practitioner.
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