This week, the Food and Drug Administration officially approved a new generic version of the abortion pill mifepristone. This move significantly increases the available supply of the medication at a time when the current administration is facing intense pressure from abortion opponents to severely limit access to such pills.
The Tuesday approval means that three U.S. pharmaceutical companies are now authorized to produce mifepristone for abortion. The FDA originally approved the brand-name version a quarter-century ago and gave the green light for a second generic version in 2019.
This decision arrives amidst a strong push from anti-abortion activists, who have been urging the FDA and the Department of Health and Human Services to roll back recent changes. These changes had allowed abortion pills to be prescribed without an in-person doctor’s visit and delivered directly to patients via mail.
Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, expressed her outrage on Thursday, stating that the FDA’s “reckless decision to expand the availability of abortion drugs is unconscionable.”
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Dr. Martin Makary have indicated that the agency will conduct further studies into mifepristone’s safety. However, medical experts and reproductive rights advocates have consistently highlighted numerous studies affirming the drug’s safety and the rarity of serious complications.
An HHS spokesman, Andrew Nixon, clarified on Thursday that the “F.D.A. has very limited discretion in deciding whether to approve a generic drug. By law, the Secretary of Health and Human Services must approve an application if it demonstrates that the generic drug is identical to the brand-name drug.”