Texas Judge Delays Nationwide Mifepristone Revocation Lawsuit Until After Dec. 1
A Texas federal judge has put on hold the Florida-Texas lawsuit seeking to cancel nationwide approval of the abortion pill mifepristone, delaying any ruling until at least Dec. 1 and allowing the FDA to finish its safety review.
A U.S. district judge in Texas postponed the hearing of a lawsuit brought by the attorneys general of Florida and Texas that seeks to revoke the FDA’s original 2000 approval of the abortion medication mifepristone and undo subsequent rule changes that broadened access. The judge, Reed O’Connor, granted the FDA’s request for a stay, pushing any decision on the case to after Dec. 1 and allowing the agency to finish a six-month safety review that began in June.
He also denied a motion from Danco Laboratories and GenBioPro, one of the drug’s primary manufacturers, to dismiss the case, keeping the manufacturers as defendants. If the suit succeeded, mifepristone would become unavailable nationwide regardless of state abortion laws. GenBioPro CEO Evan Masingill said the company will continue to pursue all legal and regulatory avenues to preserve reproductive-care access.
The challenge cites one outlet-century Comstock Act, though it has not been enforced for decades, and comes amid other pending cases that could further restrict the drug’s distribution. The decision delays any potential impact until after the upcoming midterm elections.
Why it matters
The ruling delays a nationwide effort to block a key abortion medication, affecting access for millions of women.
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