By Jen Christensen | CNN
A federal judge in Texas has said he will suspend the approval of mifepristone, a drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration that has been shown to be safe and effective for more than two decades, although he is pausing his ruling for seven days so the federal government can appeal.
The lawsuit from anti-abortion advocates claims that the drug is not safe and that the FDA didn’t study it enough to approve it.
Along with misoprostol, mifepristone is one of the drugs used for an abortion via medication, as opposed to surgery.
Mifepristone is marketed under the brand names Mifeprex and Korlym, and it’s sometimes known as RU 486.
How mifepristone works
Mifepristone blocks a hormone called progesterone, which helps the body maintain the inside of the uterus so a pregnancy can continue. A healthy uterine lining is what supports a fertilized egg, embryo and fetus.
Without progesterone, the uterus will expel its contents.
Someone having a medication abortion takes mifepristone and then, after 24 to 48 hours, takes misoprostol. That drug helps empty the uterus through heavy bleeding and muscle contractions.
The medications can be taken as soon as someone learns that they are pregnant and up to 70 days or less since the first day of their last period.
This method is effective 99.6% of the time when used to end a pregnancy, studies show.
How safe is mifepristone?
Data from hundreds of studies and 23 years of approved use has shown that mifepristone is highly safe and effective, according to 12 of the country’s most respected medical associations, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Medical Association, which signed an amicus brief in the Texas case.
This medicine combination for abortion is also available in more than 60 other countries.
Since its approval in the US in 2000, there have been 5 deaths associated with mifepristone for every 1 million people who used it, according to…
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