FDA modifies mifepristone REMS to formally allow mail-order dispensing nationwide

The FDA formally modifies the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) for mifepristone on January 3, 2023, removing the requirement that the drug be dispensed only through a certified in-person healthcare provider. The rule allows certified pharmacies to dispense mifepristone by mail following a telehealth consultation. The change, first announced in December 2021 under the Biden administration, makes medication abortion more accessible by eliminating the in-person dispensing requirement that had been in place since mifepristone was approved in 2000. By 2023, medication abortion using mifepristone and misoprostol accounts for over 60 percent of all abortions in the United States. Louisiana and other states that have banned abortion immediately challenge the new dispensing rules in court.