What This Bill Does · Plain English
Summary · Congress.gov
This bill nullifies certain changes made by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to dispensing requirements for mifepristone. (Mifepristone is a drug that is approved to end pregnancies through 10 weeks gestation when used in conjunction with the drug misoprostol. The procedure is often referred to as medication abortion or the abortion pill.) The FDA regulates the use of mifepristone through the Mifepristone Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) program. The program requires health care providers to comply with certain requirements in order to prescribe or dispense mifepristone to end a pregnancy; the program previously included an in-person dispensing requirement that required mifepristone to be directly dispensed to patients in clinics, medical offices, or hospitals. During the COVID-19 public health emergency, the FDA temporarily stopped enforcing the in-person dispensing requirement, which allowed mail-order pharmacies to fill and dispense mifepristone prescriptions. In January 2023, the FDA modified program requirements so as to (1) remove the in-person dispensing requirement, and (2) require pharmacies to be certified in the program in order to dispense mifepristone. The modifications allow retail pharmacies, after receiving certification, to dispense mifepristone pursuant to prescriptions that are written by program-certified prescribers. The bill nullifies the January 2023 changes and prohibits any similar changes in the future.
Action Timeline
2025-01-23
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
2025-01-23
Introduced in House
2025-01-23
Introduced in House
Frequently Asked Questions
Did HR.679 pass?
HR.679 is still alive. Current stage: COMMITTEE. Pass likelihood: 40%.
What does HR.679 do?
This bill nullifies certain changes made by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to dispensing requirements for mifepristone. (Mifepristone is a drug that is approved to end pregnancies through 10 weeks gestation when used in conjunction with the drug misoprostol. The procedure is often referred to as medication abortion or the abortion pill.) The FDA regulates the use of mifepristone through the Mifepristone Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) program. The program requires health care providers to comply with certain requirements in order to prescribe or dispense mifepristone to …
Who sponsored HR.679?
HR.679 was sponsored by Diana Harshbarger (R-Tennessee).
Full Bill Text
119 HR 679 IH: To nullify the modifications made by the Food and Drug Administration in January 2023 to the risk evaluation and mitigation strategy for the abortion pill mifepristone, and for other purposes. U.S. House of Representatives 2025-01-23 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. I 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 679 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 23, 2025 Mrs. Harshbarger (for herself, Mr. Hern of Oklahoma , Mr. Bost , Mrs. Miller of Illinois , Mr. Weber of Texas , Mr. Babin , Mr. Moolenaar , Mr. Webster of Florida , Mr. Baird , Mr. Higgins of Louisiana , Mr. Feenstra , Mr. Yakym , Mr. Biggs of Arizona , Mr. Palmer , and Mr. Guest ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce A BILL To nullify the modifications made by the Food and Drug Administration in January 2023 to the risk evaluation and mitigation strategy for the abortion pill mifepristone, and for other purposes. 1. Nullification of modifications to REMS for mifepristone (a) Nullification The modifications made by the Food and Drug Administration in January 2023 to the risk evaluation and mitigation strategy under section 505–1 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act ( 21 U.S.C. 355–1 ) for mifepristone are hereby nullified. (b) No substantially similar provisions The Secretary of Health and Human Services (or any head of any office, department, or agency of the Department of Health and Human Services) shall not establish, implement, or enforce any provision of a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy under section 505–1 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act ( 21 U.S.C. 355–1 ) for mifepristone that is substantially similar to any of the modifications nullified by subsection (a).
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