All articles tagged with #mifepristone
A JAMA study of more than 123,000 miscarriages before 10 weeks (2018–2024) links abortion bans to a 2.8% rise in expectant management and a 2.2% drop in medication-based care, with a 13.8% uptick in misoprostol-only regimens, signaling slower, higher-risk treatment and widening state disparities.
After the Supreme Court preserved access to telemedicine abortions, anti-abortion groups intensified pressure on the Trump administration to act on abortion pills and funding for Planned Parenthood, pressing meetings with the FDA and DOJ and signaling that failure could hurt GOP turnout in the midterms; they want swift use of powers to curb access, including potential moves like the Comstock Act to ban mail-order abortions and defund Planned Parenthood, though some insiders caution the White House ultimately holds the leverage.
An OHSU study in JAMA finds state abortion bans correlate with reduced evidence-based miscarriage management, shifting care toward expectant management and more misoprostol-only regimens, delaying treatment and potentially harming health and fertility, with greater impact on Medicaid/low-income patients amid legal uncertainty surrounding mifepristone.
The Supreme Court allowed the continued mailing and telehealth dispensing of mifepristone while the case plays out, but conservative Justices Thomas and Alito dissented, warning that enforcing the 1873 Comstock Act could threaten broader abortion access and hinting at a renewed federal abortion ban push. The decision preserves a critical lifeline for medication abortion in the near term, though advocates warn the threat to access remains tied to ongoing regulatory reviews, potential political maneuvering ahead of the midterms, and the Dobbs framework that eliminated a nationwide abortion right. Medication abortions already account for a large share of U.S. procedures, and while misoprostol-alone options exist, experts note they are less convenient and carry more side effects. This remains a high-stakes, politically charged battleground for abortion access.
Acting FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantas has been telling anti‑abortion leaders he personally opposes abortion while facing questions about past work as outside counsel for a Planned Parenthood Florida clinic (2014–2017) and his later removal from that case for conscience reasons; some filings still list him, prompting skepticism from conservatives. The FDA has pledged a science‑based review of the abortion pill’s REMS and to provide updates, while Diamantas did not respond to questions about the case; the White House defended him amid ongoing debates over mifepristone policy and the agency’s leadership.
The Supreme Court paused a lower-court ruling that would have required in-person pickup of the abortion pill mifepristone, allowing patients to continue receiving it by mail and via telehealth while Louisiana’s challenge to FDA rules proceeds, a decision issued with dissent from Justices Thomas and Alito. The ruling preserves current access for now but leaves the broader legal battle over medication abortion rules unresolved as the case moves through the courts and across states with bans.
In a shadow-docket ruling, the Supreme Court blocked the Fifth Circuit’s attempt to ban mail-order mifepristone, keeping nationwide access available for now as Louisiana’s challenge moves back to the Fifth Circuit. The 7-2 decision, with Justices Thomas and Alito dissenting, highlights ongoing clashes between state abortion restrictions, federal drug regulation, and the Comstock Act, while the FDA continues its safety review of mifepristone and the case awaits further appellate action.
The Supreme Court indefinitely extended a freeze on strict new restrictions for dispensing the abortion pill mifepristone while the underlying legal challenge proceeds, providing temporary certainty for pharmacies, telehealth providers, and clinicians. Justices Alito and Thomas dissented. The case will likely return to the 5th Circuit, with the FDA continuing its safety review of the drug’s REMS program and the broader battle over access not yet resolved.
The Supreme Court blocked a lower-court order that would have halted mailing mifepristone, allowing telehealth prescriptions for the abortion pill to continue while Louisiana challenges its legality. Mailed access has contributed to rising telehealth abortions—about a quarter of all abortions and half of those in states with bans—amid ongoing legal fights that could reach the Court again, with dissents from Justices Thomas and Alito criticizing the decision.
The Supreme Court temporarily preserved access to mifepristone—allowing it to be dispensed via telehealth, mail, or pharmacies without in-person doctor visits—while a Louisiana-led lawsuit against FDA rules proceeds, leaving current access arrangements in place for now and likely into the next year as the case unfolds.
The Supreme Court temporarily preserves access to the abortion pill mifepristone by allowing telehealth visits and mail distribution to continue, maintaining the status quo while Louisiana’s challenge proceeds in the federal courts; the court paused a May 1 ruling requiring in-person visits, Justices Thomas and Alito dissented, and the merits will likely be reviewed again in the appeals court before any final ruling.
Dr. Marty Makary is leaving as FDA commissioner, the fourth high-profile Trump-era departure this year; his tenure coincided with the FDA authorizing fruit-flavored vapes for adults and GOP pressure over a promised safety review of the abortion drug mifepristone, with reports that Makary asked officials to delay the review until after the midterms.
SCOTUS on Monday kept full access to mifepristone while it weighs next steps in a case that could curb mail distribution of the abortion pill, extending a temporary pause to 5 p.m. Thursday after a lower-court ruling that would have blocked mail administration was blocked.
The Supreme Court temporarily extended access to the abortion pill mifepristone, allowing prescriptions and use to continue while the ongoing legal challenge to its availability proceeds.
The Supreme Court on Monday extended a short-term stay allowing patients to continue obtaining the abortion pill mifepristone via telehealth visits and mail through Thursday at 5 p.m. ET, while it weighs an emergency appeal. The extension preserves access after the 5th Circuit had ordered in-person visits, a ruling that sparked chaos for providers. The case ties FDA policy on mifepristone to the broader Dobbs era of abortion politics, with Louisiana challenging the FDA and both Danco Laboratories and GenBioPro filing emergency appeals.