The FDA has given Evita Solution approval for its generic version of the abortion pill mifepristone.
Mifepristone is an abortifacient that terminates pregnancies of up to 10 weeks. It blocks the hormone progesterone, causing the uterus to shed its lining. The FDA-backed protocol for medical abortion — which now accounts for more than half of U.S. abortions — is to take a combination of two drugs, mifepristone and misoprostol.
Until now, only two small drugmakers manufactured mifepristone for the U.S. market: Danco Laboratories, which won approval for the branded drug, Mifeprex, in 2000, and GenBioPro, which got the nod for the generic tablets in 2019.
Abortion drugs are currently undergoing a safety investigation by the FDA due to pressure from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as well as other conservative lawmakers and state attorneys general. This is despite the fact that the combination of mifepristone and misoprostol was approved 25 years ago and studies showing the drugs are “extremely safe.”
Costco made headlines back in August when the wholesaler said it will stop mifepristone across any of its U.S. pharmacy locations. While Costco blamed “lack of demand from our members and other patients,” the decision comes amid increased pressure from conservative religious activist groups, including Alliance Defending Freedom.