Leaders at the nation’s largest pharmaceutical company gave a heartwarming response to the court’s decision revoke FDA approval from abortion drugs mifepristone.
More than 400 of top executives of the pharmaceutical industry spoke out against the decision made by Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk of the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas last Friday.
In the letter, published by The New York Times, the leaders called for the decision to be overturned, accusing it of “ignoring scientific evidence and decades of legal precedent.”
Allen G. Breed via Associated Press
The statement, signed by the heads of Pfizer and Biogen, rejected the decision as an attempt to reduce the FDA’s autonomy, saying that any drug approval could be dangerous “if the court can revoke the drug approval without regard to science or evidence.”
Kacsmaryk ruled that the FDA did not approve mifepristone for use in 2000, arguing that the agency “falsified and misrepresented” its studies “to give chemical abortion the option on a large scale.”
The FDA has since defended mifepristone as a “safe and effective” option for early-term abortions.
Judge Kacsmaryk’s ruling has been challenged in court. A federal judge in Washington challenged the decision in court on Friday, ruling to protect access to mifepristone. The Justice Department also issued a direct appeal.
Some Democratic politicians urged the Biden administration to ignore the decision. On Sunday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (DN.Y.) told CNN’s “State of the Union” that the White House has “discretion” on how to implement the decision.
The same day, US Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Beccera condemned the decision as “reckless” on CNN, telling the Dana Bash that the Biden administration was considering “every option” available.
HSS spokesperson Kamara Jones running again is likely later in the day on Twitter, he said that while people are “rightfully frustrated,” any disruption will set a “dangerous precedent” for the executive branch.
Although many red states have tried to limit access to abortion, more and more patients are using the pill to end pregnancy. Even before Roe v. Wade falls in 2022, about half of US abortions are performed through medication.