Chairman Cassidy, Colleagues Launch Investigation into Abortion Drug Manufacturers, Urge FDA to Crack Down on Illegal Online Sellers

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Senators Steve Daines (R-MT), James Lankford (R-OK), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) began an investigation into chemical abortion drug manufacturer compliance with U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-mandated safeguards associated with marketing their drugs. The senators also urged FDA to leverage its authorities to combat the illegal sale of unapproved and misbranded chemical abortion drugs into the U.S. by online entities.

"Chemical abortion drug makers profit off killing innocent children while putting mothers' lives at risk," said Dr. Cassidy. "These manufacturers and websites have facilitated the explosion in online sales of these harmful drugs without regard for women's health and safety while opening the door for coercion and abuse. FDA should act within its existing authorities to curb this abuse and immediately reinstate safeguards such as the in-person dispensing requirement."

"As a dad of four and grandpa of seven, I will always fight to protect the sanctity of life and protect Montana families," said Senator Daines. "There is substantial real-world evidence that shows chemical abortion is harmful to women, and it's past time that we put commonsense safeguards in place. I'm proud to work with Senator Cassidy to protect women and their babies from the devastating impacts of mifepristone."

"Chemical abortion drugs are being sold online with little oversight, putting women at risk and ending innocent lives," said Senator Lankford, Chair of the Senate Values Action Team. "The FDA must enforce the law, hold manufacturers accountable and crack down on illegal distribution. Basic safeguards exist for a reason and should be reinstated."

"Given the potentially life-threatening risks to women, the FDA should take immediate action to fight the sale and distribution of unapproved and misbranded versions of chemical abortion drugs," said Senator Hyde-Smith, Chair of the Senate Pro-Life Caucus. "We know that more than 1 in 10 women who take Mifepristone will experience a serious adverse event, a situation that is made worse with these questionable variants in circulation. Even under proper safety protocols, this drug is sold for the primary purpose of ending life and deserves heightened scrutiny."

"Chemical abortion drug companies have made a fortune off producing pills that not only end the lives of innocent, unborn children but also threaten the health of expecting mothers. To make matters worse, these products are being sold illegally online without medical oversight, and as a result, many expecting mothers have unknowingly or unwillingly consumed these dangerous pills," said Senator Graham. "As an unwavering defender of life, I call upon the FDA to use its resources to crack down on these companies that are failing to comply with existing safety requirements and demand that these manufacturers directly address the dangers of their product."

Previous Democrat administrations recklessly removed the Mifepristone Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) Program requirements for reporting non-fatal adverse events and in-person dispensing to receive the chemical abortion drugs, among other important safeguards. Ending these requirements has led to horrific instances of coerced abortions and serious adverse events going untreated and undetected.

Despite these dangers, it is unclear how the three FDA-approved chemical abortion drug manufacturers, Danco, GenBioPro, and Evita, ensure that prescribers and pharmacies comply with the few remaining REMS requirements, especially when pills are sold online and without the in-person oversight of a medical professional.

Additionally, various types of domestic and international websites appear to illegally sell unapproved and misbranded chemical abortion drugs directly to U.S. consumers, often with no prescription, no medical oversight, and no assurances on whether the drug is actually what the seller claims it is. As it did under the first Trump administration, FDA must use all of the tools at its disposal to protect women and children.

As Chairman of the HELP Committee, Cassidy led a hearing in January with Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill on the dangers of chemical abortion drugs and filed an amicus brief to restore mifepristone's in-person dispensing requirement. He also led conservative Republicans in calling on Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary to fulfill their promise to complete a safety review of abortion drugs.

"Abortion numbers are up, not down after Dobbs, driven by mail-order drugs flooding the states without regard for their laws," said Marjorie Dannenfelser, President of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. "We are now at over 1.1 million abortions per year. Companies whose sole source of revenue is abortion drugs-which carry a black box warning-are raking in millions while their inherently risky, abuse-prone drug sends thousands of women to emergency rooms, enables abusers, systematically kills countless unborn children, and brazenly undermines democratically enacted state protections. Their disregard for even the few remaining safety standards, and the lack of transparency around these secretive entities, is deeply troubling. Chairman Cassidy and fellow pro-life senators are boldly confronting this crisis head-on, demanding real accountability and safety for women and girls. It's time for the FDA to act."

"These letters raise serious and long-overdue questions about whether federal protocols are being followed-and whether women are being put at risk as a result," said Carol Tobias, President of National Right to Life. "Women deserve real medical care, not drugs dispensed through anonymous websites with little to no oversight. We commend the Senate HELP Committee for taking these concerns seriously and look forward to meaningful action that prioritizes women's health and safety."

"The growing presence of online abortion drug distribution networks requires urgent and decisive action," said Erica Inzina, J.D., Policy Director for Louisiana Right to Life. "Mothers and their unborn children are irreparably harmed by this reckless scheme while manufacturers look the other way and the FDA delays in taking action. We hear over and over from women who are left with little to no recourse after being coerced into taking abortion drugs or misled about their safety. The only time they receive any semblance of healthcare in this process is when things go wrong, which is not an uncommon occurrence. Louisiana Right to Life is grateful for Chairman Cassidy's leadership in urging manufacturers and the FDA to prioritize the health and safety of women and their babies over profits and politics."

"These letters are a crucial step forward in holding abortion drug traffickers and those who enable them accountable," said Joy Stockbauer of the Family Research Council. "Abortion drugs are dangerous weapons with the power to kill both unborn children and their mothers. The American people deserve to know why basic information about the manufacturers behind these deadly drugs has been concealed for so long. Moreover, the American people deserve to know that our federal agencies will stop the trafficking of illegal abortion drugs across our borders and protect women and their unborn children by all available means."

"Senator Cassidy is right to hold the FDA accountable for the dangers of mifepristone," said Lila Rose, Founder and President of Live Action. "Data show that one in ten women who take abortion pills experience serious complications, yet basic safeguards have been stripped away. Women and their children are being put at risk. The FDA must act immediately to restore protections and put their safety first."

Read the full letter to Danco here.

Read the full letter to GenBioPro here.

Read the full letter to Evita here.

Read the full letter to FDA here.

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