Key facts
- The FDA has launched a safety study of the abortion pill mifepristone.
- The study has White House backing and is expected to take six months.
- The FDA stated it has been actively working on a safety review of mifepristone for months.
- The study uses existing drug-safety systems and is intended to withstand legal criticism.
- Medical abortion accounts for about two-thirds of U.S. abortions.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has launched a safety study of mifepristone, an abortion pill. This action, which has White House backing, could potentially lead to restrictions on how the medication is distributed and used. The study is expected to take approximately six months and utilize existing drug-safety systems, designed to withstand legal challenges. A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services stated that the agency has been actively working on a safety review for months, refuting reports that the study was just beginning. The FDA is also considering hiring a contractor to analyze data on mifepristone use. Abortion rights advocates, like Alexis McGill Johnson of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, have criticized the review as politically motivated. The Supreme Court has previously allowed the pill to be prescribed via telemedicine and mailed, while a challenge brought by Republican-governed Louisiana makes its way through the courts. Medical abortion, typically a two-drug regimen including mifepristone, accounts for about two-thirds of U.S. abortions within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy.