Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Supreme Court To Hear Abortion Pill Case With Big Implications For Drug Industry
AP: Mifepristone Access Is Coming Before The US Supreme Court. How Safe Is This Abortion Pill?
The U.S. Supreme Court will take up a case Tuesday that could impact how women get access to mifepristone, one of the two pills used in the most common type of abortion in the nation. The central dispute in the case is whether the Food and Drug Administration overlooked serious safety problems when it made mifepristone easier to obtain, including through mail-order pharmacies. (Ungar and Perrone, 3/24)
Roll Call: Supreme Court To Hear Oral Arguments On Medication Abortion Drug
The Supreme Court hears arguments Tuesday in a challenge that could limit access to a widely used drug for medication abortions, reshape health care policy and upend the Food and Drug Administration’s regulation process. The justices will focus on a decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit that found the FDA erred when it expanded how and when the abortion drug mifepristone can be dispensed. (Raman and Macagnone, 3/22)
Axios: SCOTUS Abortion Pill Case Could Reverse Unexpected Rise In Abortions
Eliminating the federal right to abortion surprisingly hasn't reversed a yearslong rise in the number of legal abortions in the U.S. — but a case the Supreme Court hears on Tuesday just might. (Owens, 3/25)
Stat: Abortion Pill Supreme Court Ruling Could Impact Entire Drug Industry
The Supreme Court on Tuesday will hear opening arguments in an abortion medication case that pharmaceutical companies warn could upend the industry and paralyze new drug development. (Owermohle, 3/25)
The 19th: Pharmaceutical Companies Worry The Supreme Court's Abortion Pill Ruling Could Have A Wider Effect On Drugs And Research
A Supreme Court case over whether to tighten restrictions on mifepristone – one of two drugs used in the medication abortion regimen – could destabilize the American pharmaceutical industry, deterring companies from developing new drugs and even inspiring copycat lawsuits intended to revoke authorization of other politically contentious medications. (Luthra, 3/22)
Also —
The Texas Tribune: Texas Board Offers New Abortion Exception Guidance
The Texas Medical Board proposed a broad definition for what constitutes an emergency medical exception under the state’s otherwise strict abortion ban at its meeting Friday, disappointing some abortion rights advocates who were seeking a specific list of conditions that would qualify. (Bohra, 3/22)
AP: Texas Medical Panel Won't Provide List Of Exceptions To Abortion Ban
A Texas medical panel on Friday rebuffed calls to list specific exceptions to one of the most restrictive abortions bans in the U.S., which physicians say is dangerously unclear and has forced women with serious pregnancy complications to leave the state. The head of the Texas Medical Board also said that wider issues surrounding the law — such as the lack of exceptions in cases of rape or incest — were beyond the authority of the 16-member panel, twelve of whom are men. Only one member of the board is an obstetrician and gynecologist. (Stengle, 3/22)
Axios: Texas Medical Board Proposes Guidance For Abortion Ban Exceptions
The Texas Medical Board's proposed guidance on exceptions to the state's abortion ban does not offer doctors enough clarity, critics say. The ban, which makes performing an abortion a felony, has led some hospitals to refuse to treat even patients with serious pregnancy complications — though the law makes an exception for medical emergencies. (Cobler, 3/22)
AP: Wyoming Governor Vetoes Abortion Restrictions, Signs Transgender Medical Care Ban For Minors
Wyoming’s governor on Friday vetoed a bill that would have erected significant barriers to abortion, should it remain legal in the state, and signed legislation banning gender-affirming care for minors. The abortion bill rejected by Gov. Mark Gordon, a Republican, would have required facilities providing surgical abortions to be licensed as outpatient surgical centers, adding to their cost and the burdens they face to operate. (Gruver, 3/22)
