Nick Begich Opposed Keeping Mifepristone Available In Pharmacies, Even After The FDA Lifted “Medically Unnecessary Restrictions” Barring Public Access

Begich Was Opposed To Making Mifepristone Available In Pharmacies. “Begich has said he is opposed to making mifepristone, a drug used in medication abortions, available at pharmacies.” [Anchorage Daily News, 8/11/24]

The FDA’s REMS Restrictions On Mifepristone That Kept The Drug Out Of Pharmacies Were “Not Supported By Research” And “Only Make Things Harder For Patients.” “Currently in the United States, patients cannot access mifepristone through a pharmacy. It remains out of reach for many people across the country, particularly those living in remote or rural areas, due to the FDA’s Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) restrictions. The REMS restrictions on mifepristone are not supported by research and create medically unnecessary barriers for patients accessing both medication abortion and the best method of managing a miscarriage.[…]The REMS restrictions on mifepristone are not supported by research and are yet another example of reproductive health care — especially abortion — being treated differently than other kinds of health care in ways that only make things harder for patients.[Planned Parenthood, 1/1/19]

The FDA Imposed “Medically Unnecessary Restrictions” On Mifepristone, A Drug Safer Than Tylenol. “Study after study has shown the exceeding safety and efficacy of mifepristone for use in abortion and miscarriage care. In fact, mifepristone is safer than Tylenol and Viagra when it comes to serious medical complications[…]Despite its approval and long safety track record, the FDA has continued to impose a set of medically unnecessary restrictions on mifepristone, known as a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS), which has made it needlessly difficult for women and other people who need abortion care to access the medication. [ALCU, 2/2/23]

• January 2023: The FDA Lifted Restrictions Preventing The Sale Of Mifepristone In Pharmacies. “For the first time, retail pharmacies, from corner drugstores to major chains like CVS and Walgreens, will be allowed to offer abortion pills in the United States under a regulatory change made Tuesday by the Food and Drug Administration. The action could significantly expand access to abortion through medication.” [The New York Times, 1/3/23]