California will stockpile emergency abortion drug misoprostol, Gov. Gavin Newsom announces

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday that the state has secured a two-million pill stockpile of the medication abortion drug misoprostol. His announcement comes days after a Texas-based federal judge ordered a stay on another abortion medication, mifepristone.

While mifepristone is taken as part of a two-drug regimen, misoprostol can be safely used on its own, Newsom’s office said.

Doctors, however, prefer the use of mifepristone and misoprostol together, according to the World Health Organization. Misoprostol alone “is less effective than the combined regimen,” according to a WHO handbook.

Newsom has blasted U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk for his decision to suspend approval of mifepristone, which has been available since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration first approved it in 2000.

In a Monday statement, Newsom called the decision an “extremist ban” and said that Californians will continue to have access to safe reproductive health treatments with the new stockpile.

“We will not cave to extremists who are trying to outlaw these critical abortion services. Medication abortion remains legal in California,” Newsom said in a Monday statement.

The drug stockpile was purchased by CalRx, the state’s prescription drug program, which makes the pill available to pharmacies through the website abortion.ca.gov.

In addition, Newsom’s office said that the state will keep Medi-Cal providers informed about continued reimbursement for medication abortion using misoprostol. It will also remind health plans in California that state statute requires coverage of all other types of abortion and abortion-related services, including misoprostol.

Monday’s announcement was applauded by California legislative leaders, Senate President pro Tem Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Lakewood.

“With the legal future of mifepristone uncertain, taking early action to make sure we are well-supplied with misoprostol will mean continued access to reproductive healthcare for Californians across the state,” Rendon said in a statement.

This story was originally published April 10, 2023 at 11:59 AM.