States face off over lawsuit to remove mifepristone from US

Democratic and Republican attorneys general fought Friday over attempts by anti-abortion doctors to remove the abortion drug mifepristone from the U.S. market.

New York led a coalition of 22 attorneys general who argued that taking the mifepristone pill would have “devastating consequences” for women. Mississippi led her 22 Republican Attorneys General in arguing that the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of mifepristone was “seriously flawed.”

A lawsuit filed last November by an anti-abortion doctor seeking to overturn the FDA’s approval of mifepristone more than 20 years ago is raging in federal court in Texas.

Mifepristone in combination with misoprostol Most common termination method Pregnancies in the United States account for about half of all abortions.

Abortion rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America In an analysis released on Fridaysaid 40 million women would lose access to abortion pills if a court overturned the FDA’s approval.

A coalition led by the state of New York argued that overturning FDA approval would make the pill largely unavailable, forcing women to undergo more invasive surgical procedures or forgo abortions altogether.

They argued that surgical abortion was more expensive and difficult to obtain. This will disproportionately affect women living in rural areas who have low incomes and may be underserved or without access to health clinics.

“This will have devastating consequences,” the attorney general told Judge Matthew Kaksmalik, who is presiding over the case in the U.S. District Court for North Texas.

A coalition led by the state of Mississippi called the FDA’s action on mifepristone “seriously flawed” and supported doctors’ arguments against abortion.

“For 20 years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has allowed on-demand abortion nationwide by sanctioning comprehensive access to abortion drugs in defiance of federal and state laws protecting life, health, and safety. We’ve been working to establish a system that’s solid,” the Republican said. The Attorney General argued.

FDA, in its response Last month, it called the lawsuit “abnormal and unprecedented.” The agency’s attorneys were unable to find any past instances of courts reconsidering the FDA’s decision to approve a drug.

The FDA has approved mifepristone as a safe and effective way to terminate early pregnancies based on extensive scientific evidence, writes FDA attorneys. Decades of experience with thousands of women confirm that drug therapy is safer than surgical abortion or childbirth, the attorney argued.

kaksmalik on thursday Extend key expiration on a caseHe ordered Danco Laboratories, one of the abortion drug makers, to oppose the lawsuit. Pro-abortion doctors who filed cases have until February 24 to respond.

Attorneys for Danko Laboratories told the court on Friday, “Forcing the FDA to withdraw years of approval would dramatically disrupt the FDA’s control over whether a drug is safe and effective, and shutting down the business would force Danko to take action. cause direct and immediate damage to

Since the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade case last June, Mifepristone has been at the center of a battle over abortion access.

The FDA changed regulations last month to allow licensed retail pharmacies to dispense mifepristone. CVS and walgreensThe two largest drugstore chains in the United States say they are accredited in states where prescription drug dispensing is legal.

The Republican Attorney General has also warned the company not to distribute the pill by mail within the state, suggesting legal action will be taken.

There are also lawsuits seeking to overturn state restrictions on mifepristone, alleging that it violates FDA regulations. Another abortion drug maker, GenBioPro, is suing to overturn West Virginia’s ban. North Carolina doctors are challenging the state’s regulations.

Led a coalition of New York State Attorneys General and Washington, D.C. to California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Lords Island, Washington, Wisconsin.

A Mississippi-led coalition opposes FDA approval of mifepristone, citing Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, and Louisiana. , including Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Tennessee. , Texas, Utah, Wyoming.