Misoprostol drug -source: nytimes.com, Minister of Health Dr Louise Mapleh Kpoto. Source: Facebook Ministry of Health.
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Claim: Yekeh Kolubah blog reported that the Ministry of Health has banned the sale of misoprostol tablets in all pharmacies with immediate effect.
Verdict: Misleading! The Ministry didn’t ban the sale of misoprostol tablets in pharmacies. Rather, it warned against the selling of the drug by unauthorised pharmacists. MOH mandated that misoprostol be dispensed only under the direct supervision of a licensed pharmacist or an authorised dispensing professional working within an appropriately licensed facility.
Full Text
The Ministry of Health, on April 3, 2026, released a statement on its official Facebook page warning the public against the unregulated sale and use of misoprostol.
According to the Ministry, the widespread misoprostol sale and usage have become alarming and have therefore outlined a regulatory framework for the distribution of the drug by pharmacists.
Shortly after this statement, a popular Facebook blogger, Yekeh Kolubah, alleged that the Ministry of Health has, with immediate effect, banned the sales of misoprostol in all pharmacies.
The poster said, “MoH says as of today’s date, no pharmacy should sell ‘Misoprostol.’ The main tablet girls can use to do an abortion.”
The claim generated 652 reactions, 196 comments, and 47 shares at the time of this writing.
In the comments, some viewers disagreed with the claimant while others agreed. The mixed reactions led DUBAWA to initiate a fact-check.
What is misoprostol?
Misoprostol, commonly known as Cytotec, is a medication primarily used for medical abortions. When combined with mifepristone, misoprostol terminates up to eleven weeks of pregnancy. The drug is used to manage miscarriages, induce labour, treat severe bleeding after childbirth (postpartum bleeding), and prevent stomach ulcers caused by NSAIDs.
Verification
DUBAWA researched the Ministry’s statement on the sales of misoprostol drugs in Liberia. We found out that the Ministry of Health didn’t ban the sales of misoprostol, but rather warned against the unregulated sales and usage of the drug.
In regulating the process, the ministry said misoprostol should only be sold on the presentation of a valid prescription from a licensed physician or authorised prescriber under Liberian law. Also, misoprostol should only be dispensed under the direct supervision of a licensed pharmacist or an authorised dispensing professional working within an appropriately licensed facility.
A screenshot of the press statement.
Conclusion
Based on the findings, the Ministry of Health didn’t ban the sale of misoprostol in Liberian pharmacies. Therefore, the claim is misleading.
