 Health Care |
Health Care |
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Supreme Court will wade back into abortion fight |
The court said it will take up a case that could limit the availability of mifepristone, a common abortion pill. |
Wednesday's announcement means the issue of abortion will be brought before the court again more than a year after the justices ended the constitutional right to abortion. The court granted a request from the Justice Department and one from Danco, the manufacturer of Mifeprex, the branded version of mifepristone. The administration asked the justices to take up the case after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit ruled in favor of imposing restrictions on patients' access to the drug. The lower court in August said mifepristone — both Mifeprex and its generic counterpart — can stay on the market in states where abortion is legal, but changes the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made since 2016 to ease access to the drug were not allowed because the agency did not follow proper procedure in enacting them. This includes allowing medication to be sent by mail or prescribed by telemedicine. The decision could have major implications not just for access to mifepristone but also for the biopharma industry and FDA's approval authority. While the Supreme Court's 6-3 conservative majority overturned Roe v. Wade and has appeared hostile to abortion, an emergency ruling by the court in April means access to mifepristone is unchanged until there's a decision, which could come in June 2024. That means a ruling could arrive at the heart of the campaign season. Mifepristone is widely used across the U.S. to end a pregnancy in the first 10 weeks of gestation. It was first approved in 2000, and about half of all abortions nationwide are performed using mifepristone as the first of a two-pill regimen, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive rights research and advocacy group. It is also used to help manage miscarriages. But one of the other policies at stake is the 10-week window. Under the appeals court ruling, mifepristone would only be approved for use at up to 7 weeks gestation. |
Welcome to The Hill's Health Care newsletter, we're Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health. |
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How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond: |
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New Mexico's highest court is considering whether a 19th-century federal law allows local governments to ban abortion despite some of the most permissive state laws in the country. The state Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday on a challenge from the state, which asked the justices to invalidate local laws passed by four conservative counties and cities. Attorney General Raúl Torrez (D) argued the statutes exceeded … |
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| The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says it will consider approval of psychedelic drug MDMA to be used in therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). If FDA approves the drug, also known as ecstasy, it would mark the first psychedelic-assisted therapy approved for PTSD and follows more than 30 years of clinical research, according to a Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) announcement Tuesday. … |
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The United Nations (U.N.) on Tuesday warned of rising infectious diseases in Gaza amid overcrowded living conditions and an overwhelmed health system as Israel continues to wage air and ground attacks against Palestinian militant group Hamas. The spread of diseases in Gaza has “reportedly intensified,” according the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which pointed to the Gaza Health … |
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A MESSAGE FROM ASTRAZENECA |
Congress: Don't lose the fight against cancer |
The bipartisan ORPHAN Cures Act is needed to protect rare disease and cancer treatments in the development pipeline. With one-in-four cancer deaths in America occurring from a rare cancer, policymakers need to act now. Give Them Hope. |
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Branch out with a different read from The Hill: |
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New York removes medical debt from credit reports |
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Unpaid medical debt will no longer appear in New York residents' credit reports under a bill signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday. The law prohibits credit agencies from collecting information about or reporting medical debt. The law also bans hospitals and health care providers in the state from reporting … | |
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Local and state headlines on health care: |
- Which company will run mental health care for Idaho Medicaid? Legal fights look for answer (Idaho Capital Sun)
- Could a little-known psychedelic drug treat opioid addiction? Kentucky wants to find out. (NBC News)
- North Dakota transgender youth traveling to Minnesota for health care (Minnesota Reformer)
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Health news we've flagged from other outlets: |
- Millions in opioid settlement funds sit untouched as overdose deaths rise (KFF Health News)
- Gene therapy offered this 7-year-old freedom. The price: a grueling year (Stat)
- Poison centers see nearly 1,500% increase in calls related to injected weight-loss drugs as people accidentally overdose (CNN)
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Most read stories on The Hill right now: |
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The House GOP on Wednesday formalized its impeachment inquiry into President Biden with a House vote, a step Republicans hope will add legal weight … Read more |
| A federal judge agreed Wednesday to pause proceedings in former President Trump's election interference case while he appeals a decision rejecting … Read more |
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Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill: |
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You're all caught up. See you tomorrow! |
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