The FDA has approved a new birth control product in the US that protects against unwanted pregnancy 120 hours after unprotected sex, the New York Daily News reports. The postcoital contraceptive ulpristal was developed by the French pharmaceutical company HRA Pharma. In the US it will be available from Watson Pharma under the name ella. The analogous preparation, which is available in the pharmacy network in Europe, is known under the name ellaOne. According to the FDA’s conclusion based on clinical studies, the new pharmaceutical product is effective against unwanted pregnancy when taken orally 120 hours after unprotected sex. Unlike existing tablets for extreme contraception based on levonorgestrel, a progesterone analog (Postinor, Mirena, Escapel), ulipristal is a selective modulator of progesterone receptors, which is why it is effective after such a long period. One kind of preparation stops the hormonal reactions that prepare the woman’s body for pregnancy after the fusion of the two sex gametes. Levonorgestrel works up to three days after intercourse.