Louisiana files new APA lawsuit challenging 2023 FDA rule allowing mail-order mifepristone

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill files a new lawsuit in federal court challenging the FDA''s 2023 REMS update that allows certified mail-order pharmacies to dispense mifepristone. The suit is filed in the Western District of Louisiana, a venue chosen for its conservative federal bench. Unlike the dismissed Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine case, Louisiana argues it has standing because state Medicaid programs bear costs from mifepristone-related complications. The state brings the challenge under the Administrative Procedure Act, arguing the FDA exceeded its statutory authority and failed to adequately explain its decision to lift the in-person requirement. The case reaches the Fifth Circuit within months.