Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Providers, Pharmacies Wrestle With Mixed Court Messages On Mifepristone
The Washington Post: With Appeals Court Ruling, Abortion Pills Will Be Harder To Get
Even while preserving the availability of abortion pills in states where abortion remains legal, a U.S. court of appeals has allowed curbs on the pills’ distribution that will make it significantly harder for patients to gain access. A three-judge appeals court panel for the 5th Circuit, based in New Orleans, essentially dialed back the regulatory clock seven years on mifepristone, the first of two pills that are prescribed to induce an abortion. (Rowland, 4/13)
Politico: What Last Night's Abortion Pill Twist Means For Access — Even In Blue States
Should the ruling stand, retail pharmacies will no longer be authorized to dispense the drug. Physicians will not be able to prescribe the drug via telemedicine; instead, patients will have to make multiple in-person office visits to get a prescription. Additionally, non-physicians will not be able to prescribe or administer the drug, and prescribers will have to resume reporting “non-fatal adverse events” related to mifepristone to the federal government. The decision also suspends FDA approval of the company GenBioPro’s generic version of mifepristone, another blow to access. (Goldberg and Ollstein, 4/13)
Reuters: Some U.S. Abortion Pill Providers Curb Availability After Appeals Court Ruling
U.S. telehealth and in-person abortion providers scrambled on Thursday to keep medication abortion services available after a federal appeals court ruled that the abortion pill mifepristone could be distributed amid ongoing litigation but with significant restrictions. (Harte and Bernstein, 4/13)
AP: Abortion Providers Scramble As Courts Restrict Pills
Doctors, clinics and telehealth providers across the country are scrambling to figure out how they will continue to provide the most common type of abortion after a federal appeals court imposed new restrictions on a key abortion medication. One telehealth provider would have to shut down for two weeks. Some abortion clinics in Ohio are considering ditching the drug altogether. Meanwhile, other doctors are looking for legal loopholes to dispense the drug, called mifepristone. (Ungar and Seitz, 4/13)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Planned Parenthood Says It Won't Change Its Practice On Medication Abortions
Staff at Planned Parenthood’s clinic in southern Illinois say they will continue to provide medication abortions as usual, despite a federal appeals court decision late Wednesday restricting access. The latest court decision states that the abortion pill mifepristone can be used for now, but only before seven weeks of pregnancy instead of 10 or 11; and the drug can no longer be sent by mail or prescribed via telehealth. (Munz, 4/13)
