Marsden Wagner wrote an article about this exact topic and I have reprinted it here. It was originally published in Midwifery Today and is reprinted with permission. Following his article is a listing of links for you to read more about Cytotec.
In this issue of Midwifery Today Jennifer Enoch presents an excellent, thorough review of the use of misoprostol (Cytotec) for induction (1). A careful reading of this paper, however, raises a number of urgent questions: Misoprostol is on the market as a prescription drug because the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved misoprostol for stomach problems but not for induction of labor. Why not? What does the FDA say about this "off label" use'? What does the company manufacturing the drug say about this use? What do the scientific data show and what do scientists say about this ongoing off label use? A brief review of the evolution of the use of misoprostol (Cytotec) for induction clearly illustrates several problems related to obstetric and midwifery practice in the United States.
In South Dakota three months ago, an obstetrician bragged to me over lunch that he had introduced Cytotec for induction into his community. When questioned, he admitted knowing the FDA does not approve such use of this drug and that nevertheless, he does not inform women that it is not approved for this purpose nor does he ask for their informed consent. He scoffed at my suggestion that he is experimenting on women without their knowledge, much less consent. His excuse: "We will wait forever for the bureaucrats in Washington DC at the FDA to approve drugs so we must try them out ourselves if we want progress."
