FDA – REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS ALERTS

14 Jan

Study: FDA Regulation of Abortion Drug Mifepristone from 2011 to 2023 Shaped by Evidence and Caution

ChaseLatest NewsAbortion Pills, FDA, Healthcare, Reproductive rights, United States

Review of hundreds of internal FDA documents obtained under FOIA finds FDA generally followed cautious and evidence-based recommendations from staff scientists.

01 Aug

An FDA panel spread misinformation about SSRI use in pregnancy, alarming doctors

RandyLatest Newsanti-depressants, FDA, Healthcare, Pregnancy, Reproductive rights, United States

Nearly one in five pregnant women and new moms in this country suffers from anxiety and depression. And 6-8% of pregnant women are prescribed a group of antidepressants called Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs). But a recent expert panel organized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cast doubt on the safety of SSRIs — even though these drugs are largely considered safe by healthcare providers.

07 Jun

US states urge Food and Drug Administration to expand abortion pill accessibility

MollyLatest News, United StatesAbortion Pill, Abortion pill access, FDA, Food and Drug Administration, mifepristone, United States

"The attorneys general of New York, California, Massachusetts, and New Jersey on Thursday asked the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to remove some of the restrictions on access to mifepristone, the so-called “abortion pill.” The four states have requested that the FDA remove the mifepristone risk evaluation and mitigation strategies (REMS) program, “including but not limited to the Prescriber Certification, Pharmacy Certification, and Patient Agreement form.” The states have dubbed these requirements “unnecessary, duplicative, and burdensome.” The FDA approved mifepristone (brand name “Mifeprex”) more than 20 years ago based on a comprehensive review of scientific evidence. As of 2016, mifepristone has been deemed…

10 May

One year after FDA approves over-the-counter birth control pill, advocates push for more access

DoryLatest NewsAccess, Contraception, FDA, Healthcare, United States

More than 100 countries were already selling birth control without a prescription before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration — one year ago as of Thursday — approved Opill. Though the hormonal, over-the-counter birth control pill was approved in May 2023, it didn’t reach online retailers or the shelves of major drug stores across the country until a couple of months ago.

26 Mar

Supreme Court hears mifepristone arguments as protests gather outside: Highlights

MollyLatest News, United StatesAbortion Care, Abortion Pills, FDA, Healthcare, medication, mifepristone, Planned Parenthood, Supreme Court, United States

"Abortion providers responded to today's oral arguments by emphasizing the safety and effectiveness of mifepristone, stressing that reduced access to the drug could threaten public health. “The very existence of this case puts every other FDA-approved medication at risk of being taken off the market or restricted for political reasons,” Alexis McGill Johnson, CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement...."

08 Feb

What’s at stake for science in Supreme Court’s ‘abortion pill’ case?

BarbraLatest News, United StatesAbortion Care, Abortion Pills, FDA, mifepristone, SCOTUS

Retractions of mifepristone papers cited by Texas judge are the latest twist in lawsuit that could gut FDA’s oversight

23 Jan

In Washington state, pharmacists are poised to start prescribing abortion drugs

MollyLatest News, United StatesAbortion Care, Abortion Pill, FDA, mifepristone, Prescriptions, Reproductive healthcare, United States, Washington

"Over the past several months, a handful of community pharmacies in states where abortion remains legal have begun to take advantage of a new rule that allows them to fill prescriptions for the abortion pill mifepristone. Prior to the rule change, which was finalized last January by the Food and Drug Administration, pregnant people had to get the drug directly from their doctor or by mail if using telemedicine, depending on the laws in their state. Reproductive health experts have said relaxing that requirement could help ease the growing burden on abortion clinics in states where abortion is legal. And perhaps nowhere is the potential for…

10 May

Advisers to the FDA back first over-the-counter birth control pill

MollyUnited StatesBirth Control, FDA, Healthcare, Opill, Over-the-counter, United States

"In a unanimous vote, 17-0, a panel of advisers to the Food and Drug Administration recommended that the agency approve the first over-the-counter birth control pill...."

10 May

Vermont governor signs 1st-in-nation shield bills that explicitly include medicated abortion

MollyUnited StatesAbortion Pills, Abortion Rights, FDA, gender-affirming care, legislation, mifepristone, United States, Vermont

"Vermont’s Republican governor signed abortion and gender affirming shield bills into law Wednesday that are the first in the country to explicitly include protecting access to a medication widely used in abortions even if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration withdraws its approval of the pill, mifepristone..."

09 May

Abortion providers sue FDA over abortion pill restrictions in Virginia, Montana, Kansas

MollyUnited StatesAbortion Pills, Abortion Rights, FDA, Healthcare, Kansas, mifepristone, Montana, United States, Virginia

A group of abortion providers, including two clinics in Charlottesville and Alexandria, are suing the Food and Drug Administration in an effort to block potential new restrictions on the use of the abortion pill mifepristone in Virginia, Montana and Kansas.