What the new FDA commissioner says about possible restrictions on abortion medication

Amna Nawaz:

Now to the new Food and Drug Administration commissioner, Dr. Marty Makary, and a wide-ranging conversation I had with them earlier today as part of Semafor's World Economy Summit.

Among the many topics we discussed, mifepristone and what plans the FDA may have in store for medication abortion, which accounted for 63 percent of U.S. abortions in 2023. Many conservatives want the FDA to impose tighter restrictions on mifepristone and misoprostol, which can be delivered by mail.

Here is some of what Dr. Makary said.

On mifepristone, do you expect to take action further restricting the pill?

Dr. Marty Makary, FDA Commissioner:

I have no plans to take action on mifepristone.

Amna Nawaz:

Could that be changed over the course of your tenure, given the pressure that I know has come from a lot of the political forces at play on this?

Dr. Marty Makary:

So, look, I believe as a scientist, you got to evolve as the data comes in.

And, as you may know, there is an ongoing set of data that is coming into FDA on mifepristone. So if the data suggests something or tells us that there's a real signal, then I — we can't promise we're not going to act on that data that we have not yet seen.

Amna Nawaz:

But if that new data contradicts the decades of data that said that it's overwhelmingly safe and effective, you would go with the new data, rather than the precedent of decades of data?

Dr. Marty Makary:

Well, it's very hypothetical, right, because you're talking about the strength of the data, the safety of the data, the reliability of the data. So it's very hypothetical what you're asking, but in general I'm a data guy.

Amna Nawaz:

Commissioner Makary also seemed to agree today that the federal government should reverse itself and no longer recommend the COVID booster for children. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is reportedly considering that.

Previous scientific panels have found it safe and beneficial to prevent kids from getting seriously ill, but Makary told me today he believes that evidence is insufficient.