- New York and California are stockpiling an alternative abortion drug in case a Texas judge’s order suspending FDA approval of the primary drug mifepristone goes into effect later this week.
- The alternative option, misoprostol, is FDA-approved to treat stomach ulcers. written down CNBC. However, the use of misoprostol alone to induce abortions is supported by the World Health Organization and is used in countries where mifepristone is not available.
- Also read: Attorneys general from more than 20 states are sounding the alarm about suspension of abortion medicine approval: ‘Devastating risks’.
- It will remain on the market if U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk’s order to suspend mifepristone on Saturday this week goes into effect.
- More than half of abortions in the US use a combination of mifepristone and misoprostol.
- Some US abortion providers are willing to offer misoprostol as a standalone treatment, CNBC reported citing Jenny Ma, senior attorney for the Center for Reproductive Rights, a legal body representing abortion providers worldwide. Ma also said other providers may not be willing to switch to misoprostol-only therapy.
- New York Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered the state health department to buy 150,000 doses of misoprostol, a five-year pill supply. Hochul’s announcement comes a day after Gov. Gavin Newsom said California had secured 2 million misoprostol pills.
- Hochul said she is working with the New York Legislature to require private insurers to cover misoprostol when it is prescribed off-label for abortions.
- The Justice Department and Danco Laboratories, the distributor of mifepristone, have asked the US Circuit Court of Appeals to block Kacsmaryk’s decision until noon Thursday.
- Photo via Wikimedia Commons
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