Pfizer’s CEO, along with hundreds of pharmaceutical and biotech industry executives, wrote an open letter Monday advocating for the reversal of a federal judge’s decision to suspend the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of the abortion pill, Reuters reported.
U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk of Texas issued a preliminary injunction on Friday in the highly-anticipated Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration case that challenged the FDA’s authority to authorize chemical abortion drugs. The group of over 300 company executives expressed concern that the decision would undermine the FDA’s ability to approve other drugs, with Pfizer Inc CEO Albert Bourla becoming the first Big Pharma CEO to sign on, according to Reuters. (RELATED: ‘Significant Victory’: Federal Judge Requires FDA Reverse Approval Of Abortion Pill)
“We call for the reversal of this decision to disregard science, and the appropriate restitution of the mandate for the safety and efficacy of medicines for all with the FDA, the agency entrusted to do so in the first place,” the letter states, according to Reuters.
The letter further states that the decision puts “any medicine” at risk.
A pro-abortion activist displays abortion pills as she counter-protests during an anti-abortion demonstration on March 25, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by KENA BETANCUR / AFP) (Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)
“If courts can overturn drug approvals without regard for science or evidence, or for the complexity required to fully vet the safety and efficacy of new drugs, any medicine is at risk for the same outcome as mifepristone,” the letter said.
Mifepristone is the first of two drugs used in a chemical abortion, with the second being misoprostol.
Other biotech executives to sign the letter included ReCode Therapeutics CEO Shehnaaz Suliman, Blackfynn co-founder Amanda Banks and Ovid Therapeutics CEO Jeremy Levin, per Reuters.
Levin told Reuters the decision was the “single worst threat to the industry in over 50 years” and could lead to banning vaccines or contraception.
“You have the real potential of having medicines not being developed because it’s far too expensive, or medicines that are currently approved being withdrawn because they are political,” he said.
The judge’s decision has also faced criticism from the Biden administration and Democratic members of congress, as well as calls to ignore the ruling from lawmakers like Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Republican South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace.
Pfizer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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