FDA Chief: 'No Plans' to Limit Mifepristone

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary said this week that the agency has 'no plans' to limit access to the abortion medication mifepristone unless there is a safety issue.

Makary, during a speech on Thursday at the Semafor World Economy Summit, said that he has "no plans to take action" that would restrict mifepristone but said that may change if a review determines that there is a safety issue. The FDA first approved mifepristone for use as abortion medication in September 2000 and later approved a generic version of the drug in April 2019.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said during his confirmation hearing that he would "study the safety of mifepristone," adding that President Donald Trump "has not yet taken a stand on how to regulate it. Whatever he does, I will implement those policies."

"There is an ongoing set of data that is coming into the FDA on mifepristone. So if the data suggests something or tells us that there's a real signal, we can't promise we're not going to act on that data," Makary said on Thursday.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., criticized Makary's comments in a social media post, saying, "This is exceptionally disappointing to say the least. Not a good beginning at the FDA."

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