BY ALICE PARK
APRIL 25, 2023

The abortion pill mifepristone has been on uncertain legal ground ever since a Texas judge ruled that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s approval more than two decades ago should be suspended. After the Department of Justice appealed the decision and requested that the Supreme Court step in, the high court decided that mifepristone should remain available while courts continue to decide its legal fate in a potentially lengthy appeals process.

With one abortion pill in legal limbo, experts are now worried about possible threats to the other one: misoprostol. The drug is FDA approved to treat ulcers and, when used with mifepristone, to induce abortion in the first trimester of pregnancy. Taking the pills together is more effective and linked to fewer side effects than using misoprostol alone. In many parts of the world, however, doctors use misoprostol alone for abortions. Health-care providers can still use misoprostol on its own for abortions or to manage miscarriages in what’s called “off-label” use, a common practice that allows them to prescribe any approved drug for purposes other than those for which they are indicated.

Continued: https://time.com/6274075/abortion-pill-misoprostol-legal-threat/