Sen. Jim DeMint, a South Carolina Republican, will prevent a vote on Eschenbach, his press secretary said.
Despite it killing seven women and injuring another 950 more, Danco Laboratories’ has refused to stop sales of the mifepristone drug while it’s safety is reviewed.
“Senator DeMint believes that a qualified FDA nominee would publicly discourage RU-486’s use and take immediate steps to remove it from the market,” he said. “We’ve reached a breaking point here, and the senator’s not going to budge until they wake up over at FDA.”
Because von Eschenbach, who serves as the agency’s acting commissioner, is unlikely to take any actions in coming weeks to halt sales of the abortion drug, his nomination could be in jeopardy.
He’s also under fire from pro-life groups for allowing over the counter sales of the morning after pill. [LifeNews.com, 16Sept06]