Overview
- The Supreme Court’s temporary stay, issued Monday, keeps telehealth prescriptions and mail delivery of mifepristone in place through May 11.
- The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled May 1 to reinstate in-person dispensing rules nationwide, blocking virtual prescribing and shipping.
- Former FDA commissioners, the drug industry’s lobby and scholars filed briefs defending the agency’s role, while more than 20 state attorneys general urged the Court to halt mail-order pills.
- Providers describe “legal whiplash” that delays care and confuses patients, with California suppliers already shifting to misoprostol-only protocols that can still be mailed.
- The FDA has launched a safety review due in the fall, and experts warn that letting states override FDA decisions could upend science-based drug regulation far beyond abortion care.