Federal judge overrules Ohio's Mifeprex law

A US District judge has ruled that a Ohio state law (HB126) that would restrict the use of Cayman Islands-based drugmaker Danco Laboratories' Mifeprex (mifepristone), the abortifacient commonly referred to as RU-486, is unconstitutional, on the grounds that it is vague and endangers women's health, according to local media reports.

The Ohio legislation would restrict the use of Mifeprex to the Food and Drug Administration's guidelines of doeses of 600mg and only to be used in the first 49 days of gestation. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists argued that the law criminalized and interfered with medical decisions that could be in the best interests of a woman's health.

US Senator Jim DeMint (Republican, South Carolina), is currently blocking the permanent appointment of Andrew von Eschenbach as FDA Commissioner, in protest at the availability of the drug in the USA (Marketletter September 25).