Key Facts

• The FDA is conducting a retrospective safety study on mifepristone, looking at hundreds of thousands of past cases.
• Interim study results could be released in July, but the final timing depends on additional analysis.
• Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced in September that the FDA was reviewing the drug’s safety.
• Mifepristone was approved in 2000 to safely end early pregnancies and is usually taken with another drug called misoprostol.
• The Biden administration had lifted some restrictions, allowing mifepristone to be given by mail and telehealth.
• Louisiana sued to challenge the mail delivery of mifepristone, and a federal appeals court briefly required in-person dispensing again.
• The Supreme Court paused the appeals court’s ruling, allowing mail delivery to continue while the legal case moves forward.
• Depending on the study’s findings, access to mifepristone could become more limited, such as fewer telehealth options or stricter prescription rules.