Choice Ireland

Italy's drug regulation agency has approved the use of the abortion pill RU486, also known as mifepristone, prompting protests from the Vatican.

The Italian Pharmaceuticals Agency (AIFA) ruled late on Thursday that the drug would not be sold in pharmacies and only be administered by doctors.

The pill could only be taken up to the seventh week of pregnancy, it said.

On Thursday, the Vatican said it would excommunicate doctors who prescribed the drug and patients who used it.