Abortion ruling puts FDA in spotlight

The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade sets the stage for legal and legislative battles that could have broad implications for biopharmaceutical companies and FDA far beyond controversies over women’s reproductive health.

Challenges to the federal government’s power to preempt state laws that attempt to block or restrict access to FDA-approved drugs are inevitable, as are continued congressional attempts to force FDA to impose access restrictions on drugs that it has determined are not medically necessary. Upcoming battles over states’ power to restrict access to abortion and emergency contraception drugs will determine whether the U.S. will continue to have a single, national standard for determining drug safety and efficacy. ...