ASN Statement on the Case of Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine et al v FDA et al
Thursday, April 13, 2023
Washington, DC — The patient-physician relationship is threatened by the dangerous precedent set by Judge Kacsmaryk's of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas ruling on Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine et al v. FDA et al, which will negatively impact patients' access to mifepristone. The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) strongly denounces this—or any—interference in the practice of medicine and undermining the integrity of the patient-physician relationship, in particular interference that inappropriately blocks access to safe and effective drugs and therapies approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The FDA's assessment and approval of drugs, devices, biologics, and other therapies must be made solely on the best available scientific and medical evidence generated by scientists, physicians, and health care experts, and remain free from partisan government intrusion.
ASN joins the Council of Medical Specialty Societies, a coalition of 48 specialty societies representing more than 800,000 physician members, condemning Judge Kascmaryks' decision, and urging the Supreme Court of the United States to swiftly reverse this decision and act of government overreach.
ASN firmly believes that health care decisions should be private matters, made in consultation between a patient and a physician (or qualified health care professional), without government interference. ASN opposes any effort to inhibit the practice of medicine, undermine the integrity of the patient-physician relationship, or limit access to care.