New York and California Prepare For Potential Mifepristone Ban In Texas With Stockpiling Of Alternative Abortion Medications

Author: Vandana Singh | April 12, 2023 09:46am

• New York and California are stockpiling an alternative abortion medication in case a Texas judge's order suspending the FDA approval of the primary drug, mifepristone, goes into effect later this week.
• The alternative option, misoprostol, is FDA-approved to treat gastric ulcers, noted CNBC. But the use of misoprostol alone to induce abortions is endorsed by the World Health Organization and is used in countries where mifepristone is unavailable.
• Also Read: Attorney Generals of Over 20 States Sound Alarm Over Suspension Of Abortion Med Approval: "Devastating Risks" Ahead.
• It will remain on the market if U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk's order suspending mifepristone takes effect this week Saturday.
• More than half of abortions in the U.S. use a combination of mifepristone and misoprostol.
• Some U.S. abortion providers are prepared to offer misoprostol as a stand-alone treatment, CNBC reported citing Jenny Ma, senior staff attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights, a legal advocacy group representing abortion providers worldwide. Ma also said that other providers might not be ready to switch to a misoprostol-only regimen.
• New York Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered the state health department to purchase 150,000 doses of misoprostol, a five-year pill supply. Hochul's announcement comes a day after Gov. Gavin Newsom said California has secured 2 million misoprostol pills.
• Hochul said she is working with New York's legislature to require private insurers to cover misoprostol when prescribed off-label for abortions.
• The Justice Department and Danco Laboratories, the distributor of mifepristone, have asked the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals to block Kacsmaryk's ruling by noon Thursday.
• Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Posted In: BBH BIIB FBT IBB OVID PBE PFE WBA XBI XBIO