RU 486

or RU-486

noun

1. mifepristone.

RU 486

/ är′yo̅o̅fôr′ā-tē-sĭks′ /

1. An oral drug that terminates early pregnancy by interfering with the action of progesterone, thereby preventing the attachment of a fertilized ovum to the uterine wall.

Word History and Origins

Origin of RU 486¹

First recorded in 1980; designation given the compound by its French manufacturer, Roussel UCLAF, Paris