Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The maker of the dangerous abortion drug RU 486 is delighted with a new report showing that more women are opting for the drug-induced abortion rather than the surgical abortion procedure. Also known as mifepristone or Mifeprex, the drug has killed thirteen women worldwide and injured thousands in the U.S. alone.

The Alan Guttmacher Institute released a new report Thursday showing the number of abortions has declined to record lows in the United States.

But, women having abortions are more frequently using the dangerous abortion drug.

According to AGI, about 13 percent of all abortions involve mifepristone -- a number that may seem low but it is double the number of women who used the abortion drug in 2001.

The report also showed that 57 percent of places that do abortions now have the abortion drug, compared with just 33 percent in 2001.

"Currently, more than six in 10 abortions occur within the first eight weeks of pregnancy,'' Rachel Jones, a lead researcher for AGI, told AP. "Medication abortion, which provides women with an additional option early in pregnancy, clearly reinforces this very positive trend.''

Danco Laboratories said Thursday that it was excited by the increases and added that about 80 percent of facilities that only do abortions now have the Mifeprex abortion drug. It said the number of women using the abortion drug would increase as they opt for abortions earlier in pregnancy.

AGI reported that the decrease in the number of places doing abortions has slowed and Danco claims the availability of the abortion drug is the reason why.

"Additionally, these findings show that the increased number of Mifeprex providers has helped to slow the overall decline in abortion providers," it said.

Ultimately, Danco indicated that 840,000 women in the United States have had abortions with its dangerous drug.

Despite its claims that mifepristone is "a safe and effective, private option for ending early pregnancy" it acknowledged that "serious and sometimes fatal infections and bleeding occur."

Those fatal infections have led to six American women losing their lives following the use of the abortion drug.

An FDA panel eventually investigated the deaths and found that the vaginal, rather than oral, use of the abortion drug was likely contributing to the deaths.

Planned Parenthood had been going against the FDA guidelines on using the abortion drug and changed its protocols to allow for oral use after women died at their facilities.

Danco Laboratories has been granted an exclusive license from the Population Council, a pro-abortion group, to manufacture, market and distribute Mifeprex in the United States.