Benzinga - by Aaron Bry, Benzinga Editor. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday to prohibit access to mifepristone, the drug known as the abortion pill, in a case filed against the Food and Drug Administration.
The ruling will not take effect until the Supreme Court weighs in, which may not occur until next year, according to a Politico reporter.
Mifepristone is used commonly end pregnancies within the first 10 weeks, as well as helping to manage miscarriages. The 5th Circuit court’s ruling comes in a lawsuit brought by four anti-abortion groups against the FDA in November.
Last summer, the Supreme Court overturned parts of Roe V. Wade in its ruling on Dobbs V. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, ending a decades-long precedent that granted the right to abortion and other medical care to women in the United States.
Now, federal courts appear to be attempting to further restrict abortion.
The 5th Circuit asserts in the ruling the FDA did not properly consider mifepristone’s safety when given to minors when the regulatory agency approved the drug in 2000.
Mifepristone has been used since its approval in 2000 to end pregnancies in the United States and has a safety record of more than 99%, according to Planned Parenthood.
The potential limit on abortion pills could increase demand for birth control pills from companies like Pfizer Inc (NYSE: PFE), Merck & Co Inc (NYSE: MRK), Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) and others.
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