Appeals court limits access to abortion drug by telemedicine

A federal appeals court has curtailed access to an abortion-inducing drug by telemedicine appointment and mail, putting on hold a Biden-era policy that had allowed mifepristone to be prescribed online and delivered by post. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, arguably the most conservative appeals court in the country, said Friday the Food and Drug Administration has admitted that it rushed the approval of remote dispensation of mifepristone. The FDA is in the middle of a do-over review, but the appeals court said it’s not clear when that might be completed. And in the meantime, the FDA’s approval must be stayed because it tramples on Louisiana’s broad abortion ban. “The public interest is not served by perpetuating a medical practice whose safety the agency admits was inadequately studied,” Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan, a Trump appointee, wrote for the court. The decision reverts availability of mifepristone to in-person visits at a health center. A lower court had found that the FDA regulation was likely approved in violation of the law, but it delayed enforcement of its ruling, saying both the FDA’s interest in its ongoing review and drug manufacturer Danco’s financial interests outweighed Louisiana’s interests. The circuit court said that