Drug companies blast Texas judge for abortion drug decision, call for reversal
Pfizer, hundreds of other pharmaceutical and biotech firms join letter condemning halt to FDA approval of mifepristone
A conservative group is suing the FDA over medication abortion. Here’s why
Lawyers who filed a lawsuit challenging the FDAs approval of a popular abortion drug respond to critics who say filing the suit in Texas is judge shopping.
Hundreds of pharmaceutical and biotech company executives signed an open letter Monday condemning a federal judge in Texas for halting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval of abortion drug mifepristone, and called for the decision to be reversed.
Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk signed an injunction Friday directing the FDA to halt the approval while a lawsuit challenging its safety and approval works its way through court.
Mifepristone (Mifeprex) and Misoprostol, the two drugs used in a medication abortion, are seen at the Women's Reproductive Clinic, which provides legal medication abortion services, in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, on June 17, 2022. (ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Kacsmaryk stayed the FDA's approval of the abortion drug, but gave the federal government seven days to "seek emergency relief from the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit."
SCHUMER SAYS JUDGE'S MIFEPRISTONE ABORTION PILL RULING ‘COULD THROW OUR COUNTRY INTO CHAOS’
In the letter signed by Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla and more than 300 other biotech leaders, the executives blasted Kacsmaryk for overturning the FDA's 23-year old approval of mifepristone, saying the drug used for abortions and miscarriage care "has been proven by decades of data to be safer than Tylenol, nearly all antibiotics and insulin."
Pfizer Inc. CEO Albert Bourla, DVM, Ph.D, attends 2019 Forbes Healthcare Summit at the Jazz at Lincoln Center on December 05, 2019 in New York City. Bourla was one of more than 300 drug industry executives to sign a letter calling for the reversal of (Steven Ferdman/Getty Images / Getty Images)
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PFE | PFIZER INC. | 25.63 | +0.49 | +1.95% |
They said Kacsmaryk's move amounted to "judicial activism," and criticized him for having "no scientific training."
The signatories said the judge's decision sets a precedent for undermining the FDA's authority, brings regulatory uncertainty, disincentivizes investment in new treatments and puts the entire industry at risk.
Mifepristone is used in medical abortions, which account for more than half of all abortions in America.
Mifepristone (Mifeprex), one of the two drugs used in a medication abortion, is displayed at the Women's Reproductive Clinic, which provides legal medication abortion services, in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, on June 15, 2022. (ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
While Kacsmaryk halted the FDA's approval of the drug, the plaintiffs, several conservative groups, wanted the approvals of chemical abortion drugs suspended and removed from the list of approved drugs.
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Democrats are furious over the ruling, and at least two lawmakers — including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. — have urged President Biden against enforcing the injunction as the lawsuit proceeds in court.
FOX News' Adam Sabes and Reuters contributed to this report.