Home » Mifepristone uses: Abortion and miscarriage drug under scrutiny in 2 federal cases

Mifepristone uses: Abortion and miscarriage drug under scrutiny in 2 federal cases

by UNN Feed

A federal judge based in Texas issued a primary injunction last week that threatens to ban or significantly limit access to the abortion pill, mifepristone, nationwide.

The drug, also known by the brand name Mifeprex, is one of two drugs routinely used in medication abortions in the U.S. But it’s also used to manage other conditions in reproductive health, experts say, and losing access to mifepristone could drastically change that care, as well.

Mifeprex was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2000 to end early-stage pregnancies, in combination with another drug, misoprostol. Doctors also sometimes prescribe mifepristone off-label to help move along an early miscarriage and to aid in the process of ending second-trimester pregnancies. If the original Texas ruling goes through and the FDA approval for mifepristone is suspended, the medication would likely not be available for any of these uses, experts say.

Mifepristone, along with misoprostol, “is the gold standard of care for medication abortion,” Dr. Monica V. Dragoman, system director of the complex family planning division in the Raquel and Jaime Gilinski Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science at Mount Sinai, tells TODAY.com.

The medication is also “integral to providing high quality, evidence-based services for folks who are facing a variety of obstetrical or gynecological conditions,” she says. Losing access to mifepristone would cause harm to “patients seeking basic health care and undermine the physician-patient relationship,” she adds.

Is mifepristone still legal?

Yes. As of this writing, the ability to access mifepristone for abortions has not changed in the U.S. On April 14, the Supreme Court put on hold the full decision by the federal judge in Texas, allowing access to mifepristone to continue unchanged at least until midnight E.T. on April 19, giving “the justices time to consider what next steps to take,” NBC News reported.

Originally, the Texas…

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