Which Safe and Effective Drug Will Be Targeted Next?
— The Texas Judge's ruling is not only about mifepristone
by N. Adam Brown, MD, MBA April 11, 2023
Last Updated April 19, 2023
Editor's note: After this piece was published, a federal appeals court ruled that Mifepristone can remain on the market, but with temporary restrictions. The legal landscape surrounding this case will continue to evolve.
This past Friday, two opposing federal court decisions led to what is possibly the most disputed and disorderly legal battle over abortion access since last summer's Supreme Court verdict that reversed Roe v. Wade and ended the nationwide right to abortion.
In one instance, a Texas judge suspended the FDA's 2000 authorization of mifepristone (Mifeprex), used as part of a two-drug combination to end a pregnancy at up to 70 days of gestation. The judge went further, challenging the FDA and its autonomous safety review and approval of drugs. Shortly after, another court in Washington state issued a much different opinion. It said the FDA could not do anything to reduce the availability of the abortion medication.
