The manufacturer of mifepristone, the most widely used abortion pill in the United States, has asked the Supreme Court to block a federal appeals court ruling that abruptly cut off mail-order access to the drug. Danco Laboratories filed the emergency request on Saturday, one day after the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals — a New Orleans-based court known for its conservative bench — unanimously reinstated a requirement that mifepristone be obtained only in person at a clinic. The decision, stemming from a lawsuit filed by the state of Louisiana against the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA), takes effect immediately and remains in force while the case continues through the courts.

Mifepristone, approved by the FDA in 2000, is the first of a two-drug regimen — paired with misoprostol — used to end early pregnancies. It accounts for the majority of abortions in the US, and roughly one in four abortions nationally are now prescribed via telehealth. Mail-order access was expanded during the Covid-19 pandemic and was permanently authorised by the FDA in 2023, meaning patients could consult a doctor remotely and receive the medication by post or at a pharmacy. Friday's ruling overrides that regulation and, crucially, applies nationwide — not just in states where abortion is banned. Pharmacy owners, telehealth providers, and patient advocates warned of immediate disruption, with Danco describing