FDA launches safety study for abortion pill mifepristone, source says

The Food and Drug Administration has launched a safety study of the abortion pill mifepristone , a senior FDA official confirmed to CBS News, a step that could pave the way for the Trump administration to restrict access to the medication. It will be a retrospective study of hundreds of thousands of cases, according to the official. The interim results of the study could be released in July, but the official noted the timing of the final results will depend on the design of a secondary analysis after the interim results come in. The Wall Street Journal was first to report on the launch of the study. Last September, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrote in a letter to several Republican state attorneys general that the FDA was reviewing the safety of mifepristone. At the time, Kennedy and then-FDA Commissioner Martin Makary wrote, "HHS — through the FDA — is conducting its own review of the evidence, including real-world outcomes and evidence, relating to the safety and efficacy of the drug." The drug came under renewed scrutiny after the Biden administration issued a memorandum lifting restrictions that required the drug to be dispensed in-person and giving access to mifepristone via telehealth and by mail. Last year, the state of Louisiana filed a lawsuit challenging the FDA's decision to allow mifepristone to be delivered by mail. On May 4, the U.S. …