The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved another generic version of mifepristone, the widely used abortion pill, sparking outrage from anti-abortion groups and conservative politicians.
Pharmaceutical company Evita announced on its website that its generic tablet received FDA approval this week for use in ending pregnancies up to 70 days of gestation. Mifepristone is also routinely prescribed for managing early miscarriages.
The FDA first approved mifepristone in 2000, and at least one generic version already exists. Regulatory approvals for additional generics are usually standard, but this decision has ignited political controversy.
Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, described the approval as “reckless” and “unconscionable.” Similarly, Senator Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) said on X that he had “lost confidence” in FDA leadership, while former vice president Mike Pence called it “a complete betrayal of the pro-life movement that elected President Trump.” Pence also demanded the removal of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the administration’s health chief.
The backlash comes weeks after Kennedy and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary reportedly informed 22 Republican attorneys general that the agency was reviewing the safety of mifepristone—a move abortion rights groups denounced as an attempt to restrict healthcare access.
In response, a coalition of attorneys general from more than a dozen Democratic-led states pledged to safeguard the drug’s availability. The American Medical Association has repeatedly defended mifepristone, describing it as “exceedingly safe and effective” and warning that restricting access would endanger public health.
Mifepristone works by halting pregnancy progression and is typically used in combination with misoprostol, which completes the process by emptying the uterus. The medication accounts for the majority of abortions in the United States.
