A coalition of pro-life advocates led by Live Action President Lila Rose on Friday urged Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary to reverse the recent approval of an abortion drug. 
Over two dozen pro-life advocates petitioned the FDA following the agency&#8217;s Tuesday approval of Evita Solutions’ generic version of mifepristone, the drug used in over 60% of all abortions. The signatories say that instead of approving new life-ending drugs, the FDA should completely remove mifepristone from the market. 
“We urge you, in the strongest possible terms, to reverse this dangerous approval immediately,&#8221; the coalition wrote, according to a <a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/FDA-Coalition-Letter_-Abortion-Pill-10.3.2025-1.pdf">copy of the letter</a> obtained by The Daily Wire. &#8220;Rather than expanding the license for these drugs, the FDA should acknowledge the clear evidence of harm and withdraw mifepristone from the market.&#8221;
“Every abortion is a violation of human rights, and every life lost is an irreplaceable son or daughter. The federal government must stop enabling this violence under the false banner of ‘healthcare,’” they added. 
Signers of the letter included Ethics and Public Policy Center President Ryan Anderson, Students for Life President Kristan Hawkins, and Concerned Women for America CEO Penny Nance.
On Friday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the administration did not endorse the drug, but was required by law to approve Evita’s application because it was a generic offering of a drug already offered by two other pharmaceutical companies. 
The letter to Kennedy also laid out the brutal process that takes place after a mother takes a chemical abortion pill. 
“A chemical abortion consists of a two-step process. First, a pregnant mother will take mifepristone to starve her preborn child to death. Next, she will take misoprostol to induce labor contractions and deliver the baby&#8217;s dead body. At this stage in the first trimester, children developing in the womb already have a detectable heartbeat and brainwaves, and are beginning to move their arms and legs,” the coalition wrote. 
The coalition said that the approval contradicted a recent commitment from Kennedy to study the dangers of mifepristone. 
“Yet rather than pausing to examine the mounting evidence showing the harmful effects of mifepristone, the FDA has chosen to expand access to a drug that has already killed millions of preborn children and harmed countless women, undermining the very commitment that the Secretary publicly made to protect patients,” they wrote. 
Chemical abortions account for about two-thirds of all abortions in the United States and have ended the lives of at least 7.5 million unborn babies. At the same time, the mothers who take the pills often experience additional medical complications like hemorrhaging and sepsis. Studies showing the dangers of the drug have been manipulated to hide the harm, the coalition said. 
The decision has already triggered outrage from many Republican lawmakers. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) said he had completely lost faith in the FDA over the move, while over a dozen Republican representatives <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/republicans-demand-rfk-fire-rogue-actors-at-fda-who-approved-abortion-drug?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Republicans+Demand+RFK+Fire+%E2%80%98Rogue+Actors%E2%80%99+At+FDA+Who+Approved+Abortion+Drug">sent a letter</a> on Friday telling Kennedy to fire the “rogue actors” at the agency who approved the lethal drug.

Great American Farmers Market 2025

‘Every Abortion Is A Violation Of Human Rights’: Pro-Life Advocates Demand FDA Yank Abortion Drug

Abortion

Abortion Drug

Department of Health and Human Services

Live Action

Pro-Life Movement

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday it has launched a new pilot program to speed up the review process for generic drugs that are tested and manufactured entirely in the United States.
The program is designed to encourage companies to invest in domestic drug production and research by offering faster approvals for products made with U.S.-sourced ingredients and tested within the country.
Earlier this week, the FDA held a public meeting to discuss its broader efforts to support U.S. pharmaceutical manufacturing, including the PreCheck program, which aims to help set up high-priority drug facilities more quickly.
The FDA said these steps will help strengthen the U.S. drug supply chain and bring high-quality, U.S.-made generic drugs to market more quickly.
More than half of the pharmaceuticals distributed in the United States are made overseas, according to the health regulator.
As of 2025, only 9% of companies that produce the key ingredients in drugs &#8211; known as active pharmaceutical ingredients &#8211; are based in the U.S., compared to 22% in China and 44% in India, the FDA said.
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&#8220;Over-reliance on foreign drug manufacturing and testing creates risks both to national security and patient access, and undermines investments in U.S. research, manufacturing and production,&#8221; said George Tidmarsh, Director of FDA&#8217;s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
&#8220;It also slows down reviews and costs taxpayers more money,&#8221; he added.
The FDA also noted many important studies used to approve drugs &#8211; including tests to show that generic drugs work the same as brand-name ones &#8211; are now often done outside the U.S., which is weakening the country&#8217;s ability to lead in drug research and development.
(Reporting by Siddhi Mahatole in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)

Prescription drugs

FDA Launches Pilot Program To Fast-Track Review Of Generic Drugs Made In U.S.

Health

Prescription Drugs

Trump Administration

U.S.

A group of 13 House Republicans led by North Carolina Congressman Mark Harris demanded Friday that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fire the bureaucrats responsible for the FDA’s “alarming” approval of a new abortion pill, according to a letter obtained by The Daily Wire. 
Harris told Kennedy that the FDA’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pro-lifers-demand-answers-from-trump-admin-after-shocking-abortion-pill-approval?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Pro-Lifers+Demand+Answers+From+Trump+Admin+After+%E2%80%98Shocking%E2%80%99+Abortion+Pill+Approval">approval</a> of Evita Solutions’ generic mifepristone, the drug used in over 60% of all abortions, ran contrary to the Trump administration’s pro-life record. Harris and his co-signers suggested that “rogue actors” in the FDA were responsible for the decision. 
“The approval of a generic version of this dangerous drug not only contradicts the announced review but also runs directly counter to this Administration’s stated pro-life agenda,” the lawmakers <a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/10.3.25-Letter-to-Sec-Kennedy-on-Abortion-Pill-Approval.pdf">wrote</a>. “It is clear that rogue actors within the FDA are working to undermine both the sanctity of life and the Administration’s commitment to protecting it.”
They said that Kennedy should look at removing the officials responsible for the decision. 
“For this reason, we respectfully urge that you consider the director of the Office of Generic Drugs, the director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, and other bureaucrats responsible for this reckless decision as part of your reduction-in-force evaluations,” he wrote. 
Signing onto the letter were Reps. Josh Brecheen (OK), Keith Self (Texas), Eli Crane (AZ), Paul Gosar (AZ), Chip Roy (Texas), Mary Miller (IL), Andy Biggs (AZ), Barry Moore (AL), Scott Perry (PA), Ralph Norman (SC), Sheri Biggs (SC), and Ben Cline (VA). 
Mifepristone works by starving an unborn child to death by cutting it off from the necessary nutrients provided by its mother. A different drug is then taken to induce labor and expel the deceased baby from the mother. 
Harris said that removing the officials responsible for the decision would send a message that the administration still believes in defending innocent life. 
“As stewards of the taxpayers’ trust and defenders of the unborn, we must ensure that no federal office operates in open defiance of our values or the administration’s pro-life commitments. This is a critical moment to send a clear message that the lives of the unborn and the health of women will not be compromised by bureaucratic mismanagement or ideological activism.
Commenting on the approval, Health and Human Services Communications Director Andrew Nixon told The Daily Wire that the FDA “has very limited discretion in deciding whether to approve a generic drug. By law, the Secretary of Health and Human Services must approve an application if it demonstrates that the generic drug is identical to the brand-name drug.”
Nixon added that applicants for generic drugs do not need to submit independent evidence proving safety and efficacy. He also noted that HHS is conducting a review of the “reported adverse effects” of mifepristone.
Only two other drug companies, Danco Labs and Genbiopro, were previously approved to distribute the life-ending drug. The FDA wrote to Evita Solutions on September 30 that it had “concluded that adequate information has been presented to demonstrate that the drug meets the requirements for approval.”
The announcement shocked pro-life advocates, who have continued to press for action to crack down on the widespread distribution of abortion pills across the country.

MixCollage-03-Oct-2025-09-31-AM-5086

Republicans Demand RFK Fire ‘Rogue Actors’ At FDA Who Approved Abortion Drug

Pro-life advocates are demanding answers from the White House after the FDA approved a new abortion pill in a “shocking” decision earlier this week.
The FDA on Tuesday gave <a href="https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/appletter/2025/216616s000ltr.pdf">approval</a> for Evita Solutions to distribute mifepristone, a drug that is used to end the life of an unborn child in up to 63% of all abortions. After a pregnant woman takes mifepristone, her unborn child is cut off from the nutrients it needs to survive and is effectively starved to death. A different drug is then taken to induce labor and expel the deceased baby from the mother. 
The fatal drug has been increasingly available after the Biden administration allowed it to be mailed by doctors. Leftist activists ship the drugs illegally across the country with impunity. 
Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) called the approval “shocking” and said he had lost faith in FDA leadership. 
“This is shocking. FDA has just approved ANOTHER chemical abortion drug, when the evidence shows chemical abortion drugs are dangerous and even deadly for the mother. And of course 100% lethal to the child,” Hawley <a href="https://x.com/HawleyMO/status/1973801164052574259">wrote</a> on X. 
“FDA had promised to do a top-to-bottom safety review of the chemical abortion drug, but instead they’ve just greenlighted new versions of it for distribution. I have lost confidence in the leadership at FDA,” he added. 
Rep. Mark Harris (R-NC) also questioned the move.
&#8220;Wow! The FDA just approved a generic version of the abortion pill, Mifepristone, a drug that ends a baby&#8217;s life 100% of the time and harms mothers. The FDA announced a new safety study just days ago, so why this new move now?&#8221; he <a href="https://x.com/RepMarkHarrisNC/status/1973841437730222548">wrote</a> on X.
Only two other drug companies, Danco Labs and Genbiopro, were previously approved to distribute the life-ending drug. The FDA wrote to Evita Solutions on September 30 that it had “concluded that adequate information has been presented to demonstrate that the drug meets the requirements for approval.”
Evita Solutions says on its <a href="https://www.evitasolutionsllc.com">website</a> that “medical abortion care is rife with medically unnecessary restrictions and social stigma in the United States” and that it “believes that all people should have access to safe, affordable, high-quality, effective, and compassionate abortion care, regardless of their race, sex, gender, age, sexuality, income, or where they live.”
Evita said that it expected to have the life-ending drug available by January 2026.
&#8220;Evita Solutions is now the third manufacturer (the second generic manufacturer) with FDA approval.  Availability of our product will expand patients’ options for medication abortion with an affordable product backed by decades of safe use,&#8221; it said in a statement.
In response to questions about the drug’s approval, Health and Human Services Communications Director Andrew Nixon told The Daily Wire that the FDA “has very limited discretion in deciding whether to approve a generic drug. By law, the Secretary of Health and Human Services must approve an application if it demonstrates that the generic drug is identical to the brand-name drug.”
Nixon added that applicants for generic drugs do not need to submit independent evidence proving safety and efficacy. 
“HHS is conducting a study of the reported adverse effects of mifepristone to ensure the FDA’s risk mitigation program for the drug is sufficient to protect women from unstated risks,” Nixon added. “The FDA does not endorse any drug product and directs prescribers to follow all labeling.”
The decision is already drawing backlash from pro-life advocates who have long warned about the dangers of the drug. Kelsey Pritchard, the director of state affairs for SBA Pro-Life America, called the decision “reckless.”
“This does nothing to help and fix the problem that we have with abortion drugs and mail-order abortion drugs, and instead puts a cheap drug on the market so that more unborn lives are taken and more women and girls end up in the ER,” she told The Daily Wire. 
Pritchard said that the Trump administration should reinstate restrictions on the mailing of mifepristone that the Biden administration loosened. 
“This decision is not MAGA. It is not MAHA, adding a new life ending drug to the market doesn&#8217;t make America greater or healthier, and this is not something that we would expect, especially at this time,” she added, calling for pro-life Republicans to call out the decision. 
Last month, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary told Republican attorneys general that they were studying the safety of mifepristone. Some studies have shown that the drug is not only fatal to the unborn child but can also bring serious health risks to the mother.

Senate Hearing Examines AI Industry’s Use Of Copyrighted Works To Train AI Models

Pro-Lifers Demand Answers From Trump Admin After ‘Shocking’ Abortion Pill Approval

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Tuesday evening that it&#8217;s cracking down on deceptive pharmaceutical ads, issuing thousands of warning letters and about 100 cease-and-desist notifications.
“For far too long, the FDA has permitted misleading drug advertisements, distorting the doctor-patient relationship and creating increased demand for medications regardless of clinical appropriateness,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary said in a statement. “Drug companies spend up to 25% of their budget on advertising. Those billions of dollars would be better spent on lowering drug prices for everyday Americans.”
A press release from the agency said current law requires pharma ads to &#8220;present a fair balance between a product’s risks and benefits; avoid exaggerating benefits; not create a misleading overall impression; properly disclose financial relationships; and include information regarding major side effects and contraindications.&#8221;
That rule, which the FDA did not adequately enforce during the Biden years, will be &#8220;aggressively&#8221; enforced now, the release says. Additionally, the FDA is closing the “adequate provision” loophole created in 1997, which companies have used to &#8220;conceal critical safety risks in broadcast and digital ads, fueling inappropriate drug use and eroding public trust.&#8221;
Television ads are not the only promotional content being scrutinized and regulated. Social media posts, which often feature an influencer talking up the drug, rarely mention &#8220;potential harms,&#8221; or they fail to disclose that the influencers are being paid.
&#8220;[W]hile 100% of pharmaceutical social media posts highlight drug benefits, only 33% mention potential harms,&#8221; the FDA said, citing a 2024 review in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research. &#8220;Moreover, 88% of advertisements for top-selling drugs are posted by individuals and organizations that fail to adhere to the FDA fair balance guidelines.&#8221;
In the thousands of letters sent to drug companies, the FDA warns, &#8220;You are hereby directed to remove any noncompliant advertising and bring all promotional communications into compliance.&#8221;
&#8220;This notice also serves to demand compliance with the [Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic] Act and FDA implementing regulations and requires companies to remove any and all DTC (direct-to-consumer) prescription drug advertising that violates the law,&#8221; the letter adds.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. &#8212; the head of Health and Human Services (HHS), which oversees the FDA &#8212; has long been a critic of Big Pharma ads. He said in a statement issued Tuesday that &#8220;pharmaceutical ads hooked this country on prescription drugs.&#8221;
&#8220;We will shut down that pipeline of deception and require drug companies to disclose all critical safety facts in their advertising,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;Only radical transparency will break the cycle of overmedicalization that drives America’s chronic disease epidemic.”
While Kennedy was running for president in 2024, before he endorsed President Donald Trump, he said he would &#8220;issue an executive order banning pharmaceutical advertising on television.&#8221;
&#8220;We are one of only two countries in the world that allow pharmaceutical companies to advertise directly to consumers on television,&#8221; RFK Jr. said on X in 2024. &#8220;Not surprisingly, Americans consume more pharmaceutical products than anyone else on the planet.&#8221;

Trump FDA Announces Major Crackdown On ‘Misleading’ Pharma Ads

Big Pharma

Politics

NASHVILLE — Banana Taffy, Dragon Drink, Hawaiian Fruit Punch. Those aren’t smoothies or soft drinks. Those are a sampling of the variety of vapes that continue to enter the United States illegally from China in 2025.
Cases of the brightly-colored devices lined the booths at this year’s Alternative Products Expo in Nashville, Tennessee. Some vape devices featured LED screens. Some were stackable, allowing up to three flavors, enabling the user to concoct their own mixture of candy-like vape flavors. Other vapes were stylized as designer purses. One wholesaler employee pitched a pastel vape device that doubled as a fidget toy.
And as of 2020, all of them were illegal.
<div id="attachment_966933" style="width: 453px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-966933" class="wp-image-966933 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/Vape-Flyers_6-443x576.jpg" alt="" width="443" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/Vape-Flyers_6-443x576.jpg 443w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/Vape-Flyers_6-231x300.jpg 231w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/Vape-Flyers_6-768x999.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/Vape-Flyers_6-1181x1536.jpg 1181w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/Vape-Flyers_6.jpg 1516w" sizes=" (max-width: 443px) 100vw, 443px" />A promotional flyer for the Alternative Products Expo in Nashville, Tennessee.</div>
While American manufacturers like JUUL only sell vapes in menthol and tobacco flavors — the only legal flavors in the United States — wholesalers skirt Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations by importing vape products from China. These unregulated Chinese vapes are flooding the United States, despite warning letters and threats of seizure by the FDA. At the Alternative Products Expo, wholesalers promoted their illegal, Chinese vape products completely out in the open.
The Chinese company <a href="https://www.kangvapecig.com/">Kangvape</a> prominently displayed its TC8000 vape. The booth stocked the flavors Cool Mint, Miami Mint, Pineapple Coconut, Vintage, Virginia Tobacco, and Watermelon Ice. A flyer advertised an additional 23 flavors, including Rainbow Paradise.
Kangvape also sold its Speedy Beast vape in 20 flavors — none of which included tobacco or menthol. Instead, the Speedy Beast boasted the exotic-sounding Blue Laffi Taffi, Ruby Delight, and Tropical Starburst.
These are being openly hawked with no concern for past threats of action. The FDA <a href="https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/nfv-llc-dba-nfdvapes-and-nic-fix-doctor-673307-12122023">cited</a> the Rainbow Paradise flavor of the TC8000 in a warning letter from December 2023. Another FDA warning letter from April 2024 <a href="https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/highfi-vape-682420-04302024">noted</a> the illegal Kangvape Onee Stick. 
<div id="attachment_966947" style="width: 429px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-966947" class="wp-image-966947 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/Vape-Flyers_4-419x576.jpg" alt="" width="419" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/Vape-Flyers_4-419x576.jpg 419w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/Vape-Flyers_4-218x300.jpg 218w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/Vape-Flyers_4-768x1055.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/Vape-Flyers_4-1118x1536.jpg 1118w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/Vape-Flyers_4-1490x2048.jpg 1490w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/Vape-Flyers_4.jpg 1496w" sizes=" (max-width: 419px) 100vw, 419px" />ZColors by ZLAB is another Chinese vape company that sells its products in the United States.</div>
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said cracking down on illegal vapes is a “top priority” for the agency, The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/top-priority-fda-to-crack-down-on-illegal-chinese-vapes">reported</a>.
“Eighty-five percent of the vaping products sold in the vape stores are illegal according to the FDA’s list,” Makary said. “We don’t even know what’s in some of these vaping products.”
There are only 39 vape products that have been authorized by the FDA.
An FDA spokesman says a federal task force is facilitating actions against illegal products.
“FDA has taken numerous actions against unauthorized new tobacco products from international firms, including e-cigarettes that are most popular with youth,” the spokesman told The Daily Wire.
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The FDA reports that it has seized millions of dollars’ worth of illegal products. In January, the agency seized $7 million worth of vape products, including the brand Geek Bar, which an FDA press release <a href="https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/ctp-newsroom/more-7-million-worth-illegal-e-cigarettes-seized-federal-operation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a> “may appeal to youth.”
The seizures haven’t scared Kangvape. The company sold dozens of boxes of Geek Bar vapes at the Expo, featuring flavors ranging from Banana Taffy Freeze to Blue Razz Ice.
Federal action appears to have had little impact on Chinese vapes in general. The Expo featured wholesalers that have received FDA warning letters and seemingly ignored them.
One such wholesaler, Safa Goods, was a sponsor of the Expo. Its name appeared on Expo nametags, as did advertisements for two other illegal vape brands, Beri Crush and Raz LTX.
The warning letter to Safa, <a href="https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/safa-goods-llc-665079-10052023">sent</a> in October 2023, cited the illegal vape product EB Design BC5000 Blue Razz Ice. Safa’s booth didn’t advertise the EB vapes. But it did sell the illegal vape Raz LTX 25K, which was <a href="https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/vapejuicecom-709722-05302025">cited</a> in an FDA warning letter from May 2025.
The Raz LTX 25K is a <a href="https://mipod.com/blogs/mipodblog/what-happened-to-raz-dc25000-vapes?srsltid=AfmBOor8Y9qvgdp0D6RivbJ6vGd7lvXcRpp2AeXAOV_R7DvF28cbEUfl">rebrand</a> of the Raz DC25000, which has also been cited in multiple FDA warning letters. Safa’s Expo booth sold the flavor Mango Loco, which was <a href="https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/thesmokeplugcom-709720-05302025">named</a> in an FDA warning letter from May 2025.
<div id="attachment_967009" style="width: 452px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-967009" class="wp-image-967009 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/Vape-Flyers_7-442x576.jpg" alt="" width="442" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/Vape-Flyers_7-442x576.jpg 442w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/Vape-Flyers_7-230x300.jpg 230w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/Vape-Flyers_7-768x1000.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/Vape-Flyers_7-1179x1536.jpg 1179w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/Vape-Flyers_7-1572x2048.jpg 1572w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/Vape-Flyers_7.jpg 1612w" sizes=" (max-width: 442px) 100vw, 442px" />Safa Goods, a U.S. company that distributes Chinese vape products, was a sponsor of the Alternative Products Expo in Nashville.</div>
Safa also sold dozens of flavors aside from menthol and tobacco in additional brands.
The company is the subject of a New York lawsuit <a href="https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2025/attorney-general-james-sues-nations-largest-vape-distributors-fueling-youth">suing</a> multiple vape distributors “for illegally distributing, marketing, and selling flavored disposable vapes.”
A primary concern with these vapes, with flavors more fit for a candy store than a tobacco shop, is that they appeal to children. Illegal e-cigarettes often attract children and teens through bright colors and fruit- and candy-based flavors, according to Makary.
The FDA spokesman said the agency works with “federal partners to combat these attempted illegal imports and enhance enforcement activities,” especially against vape products “that may be appealing to youth.”
An FDA seizure in 2023 included the illegal brand Lost Mary. Expo wholesaler Strictly E-Cig’s 2025 product catalog advertised 30 flavors of Lost Mary vapes, with names such as Dragon Drink, Rocket Popsicle, and Scary Berry. The Lost Mary products are available for purchase online.
Another wholesaler, Sol Trading, leaned into pastel colors and “cutie, fruity flavors” to market its UT Bar vape, which one employee pitched as both a vape and a fidget toy.
The UT Bar combines two flavors into one vape. The flavor combinations included B-Pop and Watermelon, Citrus Ice and Sour Fab, Cool Mint and Icy Mint, and Raspberry and White Peach.
Multiple sellers advertised flavor combinations at the Expo. Chinese-based company Ziip Lab sold its Z-Land vape, which allows the user to stack up to three vape pods for more than 125,000 flavor combinations, according to a handout from the booth.
The flyer advertised stacking flavors such as Berry Mix and Guava, as well as Blueberry, Green Apple, and Orange. Z-Land comes in a total of 51 flavors, including Milk, Rainbow Rain, and Skittle Ice Fruits.
Another wholesaler, Unishow, sold GeakNexx vapes at the Expo. Unishow <a href="https://www.fda.gov/media/128992/download?attachment">received</a> an FDA warning letter in 2019 for selling illegal products. The GeakNexx vapes came in about a dozen illicit flavors, including Blue Oat Donut, Frozen Fcuking Fab, and Strawberry Banana.
The Alternative Products Expo, Kangvape, Safa Goods, Strictly E-Cig, Unishow, and Ziip Lab did not respond to requests for comment.
The illegal vapes didn’t stop with the wholesalers. The Alternative Products Expo itself advertised a giveaway of $50,000 worth of illegal vape products, including the disposable Geek Bar Pulse and the Raz DC25000, and the Raz TN9000. The <a href="https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/denverelectroniccigarettescom-708988-05162025">Geek Bar Pulse</a>, Raz DC25000, and <a href="https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/nepa-wholesale-inc-710957-06262025">Raz TN9000</a> have been cited in FDA warning letters.
The Expo promoted the illegal vapes giveaway with a large sign and a locked case of vapes just inside the entrance to the convention center. It also marketed the giveaway online and in the official show book.
The advertised flavors included Blue Razz Ice, Fire and Ice, and Miami Mint. An additional flavor, Strawberry Burst, did not contain nicotine.
The Expo was not only for vapes, but also “the full spectrum of alternative products,” including CBD-based products, mushrooms, and Kratom, another drug that’s become dangerously popular with America’s teenagers.
Many of these vapes are smuggled into the United States. A previous Daily Wire investigation <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/china-is-flooding-america-with-illegal-vapes-and-more-than-90-fly-under-the-radar">found</a> that over 90% of imported Chinese vape products in 2024 were not included in U.S. import data. The companies often disguise their products by labeling them as battery chargers and flashlights.
“[What] we have been doing is laughable,” Makary said. “We’re going to start confiscating and seizing. We’re going to take this seriously.”

IMG_6982

From Banana Taffy To Dragon Drink: The Illegal Chinese Vapes Flooding The U.S. Market

Drugs

Investigation

Nashville

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A week ago, President Donald Trump <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/dariosabaghi/2025/08/11/trump-says-marijuana-rescheduling-will-be-decided-within-weeks/">said</a> that he would soon decide whether to move cannabis from Schedule I to III for purposes of the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 (CSA), which would take marijuana out of the category of drugs that cannot be used for any purpose. Doing so would be a huge mistake. Huge.
Congress placed cannabis in Schedule I — the category for drugs that have no legitimate medical use, that are potentially addictive, and have no safe use even under a physician’s supervision — when it passed the CSA 55 years ago. While Congress empowered the U.S. Attorney General, after consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, to reschedule cannabis, in the ensuing half-century, no Republican or Democratic attorney general has done so, and no court has ruled that they must do so.
In 2023, however, cannabis advocates finally found a friend. Admiral Rachel L. Levine, HHS Assistant Secretary for Health under President Biden, <a href="http://www.jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2834954">recommended</a> that Attorney General Merrick Garland transfer cannabis into Schedule III. To justify that conclusion, Levine invented a newfangled test that relied heavily on the fact that multiple states have adopted medical cannabis programs. As a matter of law, that rationale is wrong for multiple reasons.
First, Congress could not have been clearer that it is the exclusive responsibility of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), not the states, to decide whether a drug is safe, effective, and uniform. Levine’s rationale effectively and unlawfully transfers decision-making authority from the FDA to the states.
Second, the FDA has never approved the botanical form of cannabis as a safe, effective, and uniformly made drug. The FDA has approved the synthesis of compounds found in the plant by legitimate pharmaceutical companies, but has not approved the interstate distribution of the cannabis plant enjoyed by Cheech and Chong and Harold and Kumar fans.
Third, the FDA could not find that the cannabis plant is safe, effective, and uniformly made.
Start with its safety. The cannabis sold today is <a href="https://www.congress.gov/116/meeting/house/110381/witnesses/HHRG-116-IF14-Wstate-VolkowN-20200115.pdf">far more powerful</a> than the version smoked at Woodstock. At that time, the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content — the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis — was 3-6%. Now, some concentrated cannabis products can have a 90% THC content. That difference is like comparing near beer to grain alcohol.
Growing evidence also links cannabis use to a host of <a href="https://www.congress.gov/116/meeting/house/110381/witnesses/HHRG-116-IF14-Wstate-VolkowN-20200115.pdf">adverse physical outcomes</a>, such as oral, head, and neck cancers; cardiovascular disorders; pulmonary disease; and numerous adverse psychological effects, such earlier onset of psychosis; reduced IQ; childhood poisonings; amotivational syndrome; increased school absenteeism; and a reduced likelihood of graduating high school, enrolling in a university, or completing higher degree requirements. Heavy cannabis users and people who begin its use as minors and continue into adulthood are particularly <a href="https://www.congress.gov/116/meeting/house/110381/witnesses/HHRG-116-IF14-Wstate-VolkowN-20200115.pdf">susceptible</a> to these harms.
Plus, botanical cannabis can be adulterated with a host of dangerous, unhealthy, or downright disgusting contaminants. Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, told Congress in 2020 that “individuals across the country are using cannabis strains and extracts that have not undergone the rigorous clinical trials required to show that they are safe and effective for medical use, and are not regulated for consistency or quality.”
As I explained in an <a href="https://www.heritage.org/sites/default/files/2023-08/SR275.pdf">earlier article</a>, among the “hodgepodge” of dangerous contaminants found in the cannabis sold today are E. coli, fungi, mold, toxins, hazardous chemical solvents such as butane and propane, pesticides, heavy metals (such as arsenic, lead, and mercury), and other harmful and disgusting substances such as formaldehyde and insects. The FDA would never allow such contaminants to be present in any drug sold to the public.
Cannabis can also lead to physical dependence in users. Heavy or long-term use can lead a person to develop a tolerance to THC, requiring ever greater quantities of the chemical to experience the same euphoria. As drug policy experts Wayne Hall and Rosalie Pacula have explained, there is a 10% risk of addiction for people who have ever used cannabis, a 20-33% for people who use it more frequently, and a 50% risk — &#8220;<a href="https://www.heritage.org/sites/default/files/2023-08/SR275.pdf">a coin flip</a>” — for people who use it daily. Driving while stoned can, of course, lead to motor vehicle accidents that maim or kill pedestrians or other drivers and their passengers.
Keep in mind that the FDA has <a href="http://www.heritage.org/sites/default/files/2023-08/SR275.pdf">never</a> given approval for a drug to be smoked. Why? There is no uniform depth or length of any one inhalation, and no uniform number of inhalations that users follow. Moreover, the nation concluded over 60 years ago that smoking burnt carbon products damages a smoker’s health, which explains why major medical institutions such as the American Medical Association, the U.S. National Institutes of Health, and the Royal College of Physicians have <a href="http://www.heritage.org/sites/default/files/2023-08/SR275.pdf">not</a> recommended smoking as a legitimate drug delivery system.
The raw cannabis plant also is not “effective” for purposes of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Only a handful of controlled studies have examined whether pot can be used as a legitimate treatment for disease or injury; the results are <a href="https://www.law.georgetown.edu/public-policy-journal/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2019/09/17-2-Larkin-Madras.pdf">inadequate</a> to draw any scientific conclusion.
The most common justification offered is that its psychoactive calming effect makes it a legitimate analgesic alternative for pain. But that argument is medically <a href="https://www.law.georgetown.edu/public-policy-journal/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2019/09/17-2-Larkin-Madras.pdf">unsound</a>. Cannabis is too weak to substitute for opioids as a treatment for severe pain — indeed, it hinders cessation of opioid use by anyone trying to kick an opioid <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4127123/pdf/nihms609765.pdf">dependency</a> — and scientific proof that THC is a valid treatment for lower levels of pain is also lacking.
To be sure, smoking a joint can get you “high,” but that is not the test for a medicine’s effectiveness. As Dr. Peter Bach, Director of the Center for Health Policy and Outcomes at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/if-weed-is-medicine-so-is-budweiser-11547770981?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=ASWzDAh7LaDEYv_vcqs-izvRtTLHvE4_TMMU_qu3NyDxy9OXughPlX3zaBL-&amp;gaa_ts=689c8e99&amp;gaa_sig=tzI2Ti78lH5zRhqIjd3w0ZVcT308pAa8r1GA3Re1URauoN8dYXnoBs5EqZYAmoitDwKaFsuYPpeZooGzKZ9AwA%3D%3D">explained</a>, “[E]very intoxicant would pass that sort of test because you don’t experience pain as acutely when you are high. If weed is a pain reliever, so is Budweiser.”
Finally, the cannabis plant is not a <a href="http://www.heritage.org/sites/default/files/2023-08/SR275.pdf">uniformly made product</a>. As Brian Thomas and Mahmoud ElSohly <a href="http://www.heritage.org/sites/default/files/2023-08/SR275.pdf">explained</a> in their book The Analytical Chemistry of Cannabis, “The number of parameters on which cannabis can vary is enormous,” and differs according to “strain, growing conditions, harvesting methods and handling,” to “storage and processing of the raw material to combining them with a wide variety of foods and other excipients in manufacturing, and to “methods of administration (eating, smoking, ‘vaping,’ applying to mucous membranes)” and so forth.
Botanical cannabis also varies according to potency and the presence of cannabinoids (i.e., biochemically active compounds), which tends to <a href="http://www.heritage.org/sites/default/files/2023-08/SR275.pdf">offset or moderate</a> the potential adverse effects of high THC consumption, such as anxiety, cognitive impairment, amotivational syndrome, dependence or addiction, and psychosis.
In sum, the Levine recommendation from 2023 is wrong as a matter of law and medically unsound, indeed dangerous. If the President truly wants to Make America Healthy Again, he should reject that recommendation.
* * *
Paul J. Larkin is the John, Barbara &amp; Victoria Rumpel Senior Legal Research Fellow at The Heritage Foundation.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Trump Administration Considers Reclassifying Marijuana As A Less Dangerous Drug

Dude, Rescheduling Cannabis Downwards Would Be A Huge Mistake. Huge.

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The Food and Drug Administration’s top vaccine and gene therapy regulator has reportedly been ousted from his position.
Dr. Vinay Prasad, the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, recently came under scrutiny for a request to <a href="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-requests-sarepta-therapeutics-suspend-distribution-elevidys-and-places-clinical-trials-hold">pause</a> shipments of a gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), claiming the genetic treatment is linked to three potential deaths. Earlier this week, the FDA lifted the pause for DMD patients who are still able to walk.
Andrew Nixon, a spokesman for Health and Human Services, confirmed Prasad is no longer with the FDA but did not share details about his departure.
“Dr. Prasad did not want to be a distraction to the great work of the FDA in the Trump administration and has decided to return to California and spend more time with his family,” Nixon said in a statement. “We thank him for his service and the many important reforms he was able to achieve in his time at FDA.”
In a statement issued on July 18, Prasad said the gene therapy &#8212; called Elevidys and made by Sarepta Therapeutics &#8212; needed to be paused for patient safety.
“Protecting patient safety is our highest priority, and the FDA will not allow products whose harms are greater than benefits,&#8221; he said. &#8220;The FDA will halt any clinical trial of an investigational product if clinical trial participants would be exposed to an unreasonable and significant risk of illness or injury,”
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary gave his support to Prasad, seeming to praise the &#8220;swift action.&#8221;
“Today, we’ve shown that this FDA takes swift action when patient safety is at risk,” Makary said. “We believe in access to drugs for unmet medical needs but are not afraid to take immediate action when a serious safety signal emerges.”
Some conservatives criticized Prasad for pausing the therapy. A piece published by RealClearHealth said Prasad was standing with &#8220;progressive health policies,&#8221; and not the president.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
More on the man destroying <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> legacy for helping patients. FDA’s Vinay Prasad Stands with Progressive Health Policies <a href="https://t.co/4wQ3mRuA6U">https://t.co/4wQ3mRuA6U</a>
— Rick Santorum (@RickSantorum) <a href="https://twitter.com/RickSantorum/status/1948769526776025597?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
&#8220;Prasad’s hostility toward breakthrough therapies is not confined to policy memos. He has dismissed Elevidys as &#8216;disgusting&#8217; because of its $3.2 million price tag, decried its &#8216;unclear benefit,&#8217; and labeled it a &#8216;useless drug,'&#8221; the piece said. &#8220;He lumped it together with Sarepta’s earlier exon-skipping therapy Exondys 51, calling its approval the result of &#8216;shenanigans&#8217; and &#8216;FDA politics&#8217; overriding science.&#8221;
In the past, Prasad expressed publicly his skepticism of President Donald Trump&#8217;s &#8220;right to try&#8221; policy.
However, Emily Kopp, an investigative journalist from The Daily Caller, suggested Big Pharma was playing a role in the controversy. &#8220;Hit pieces on FDA’s Vinay Prasad are being fed to the right by pharma company Sarepta, the maker of an experimental drug that just killed an eight year old boy,&#8221; she wrote.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Hit pieces on FDA’s Vinay Prasad are being fed to the right by pharma company Sarepta, the maker of an experimental drug that just killed an eight year old boy. <a href="https://t.co/1wCq3ksXWZ">https://t.co/1wCq3ksXWZ</a> <a href="https://t.co/Y8aeRtqBU9">pic.twitter.com/Y8aeRtqBU9</a>
— Emily Kopp (@emilyakopp) <a href="https://twitter.com/emilyakopp/status/1948867147855212627?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
Though Prasad was a critic of COVID vaccine protocols and other pandemic-related approaches, his personal politics have also become <a href="https://loomered.com/2025/07/28/exclusive-trump-fda-official-vinay-prasad-once-said-he-stabbed-a-trump-voodoo-doll-to-curse-him/">a topic</a> for some on the Right. Makary, however, recently defended Prasad from attacks. “There’s not a political bone to his body,” Makary <a href="https://www.politico.com/video/2025/07/26/commissioner-marty-makary-defends-fdas-vinay-prasad-1690337">said</a> of Prasad last weekend. “He’s an impeccable scientist, I think one of the greatest scientific minds of our generation.”

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FDA Shake-Up: The Controversial Ouster Of The Top Vaccine Regulator

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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will crack down on illegal vapes entering the U.S. from China, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary told ABC News.
&#8220;[What] we have been doing is laughable,&#8221; Makary said. &#8220;We&#8217;re going to start confiscating and seizing. We&#8217;re going to take this seriously.&#8221;
The illegal e-cigarettes appeal to children and teens through bright colors and fruit- and candy-based flavors, according to Makary. The vapes are often disguised as handheld video game consoles, highlighters, or smartphone cases, ABC News <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/fda-head-warns-illegal-vaping-products-china/story?id=123977131">reported</a>.
&#8220;There is no approved vaping product in the United States that has a video game,&#8221; Makary said. &#8220;There is not an approved vaping product in the United States that has one of these cutie fruity flavors.&#8221;
The only legal e-cigarette flavors are menthol and tobacco, Makary said. There are only 39 authorized e-cigarette products in the U.S.
&#8220;Eighty-five percent of the vaping products sold in the vape stores are illegal according to the FDA&#8217;s list,&#8221; Makary said. &#8220;We don&#8217;t even know what&#8217;s in some of these vaping products.&#8221;
Makary said stopping illegal vapes is a &#8220;top priority&#8221; for the agency.
U.S. Customs and Border Patrol seized about two million illegal vape products last month, ABC News reported. The vapes are worth about $34 million.
&#8220;This is just a small fraction of the seizures we have here,&#8221; CBP official Eric Everson told the outlet.
Over 90% of Chinese vape products imported to the U.S. in 2024 were not reported in American import data, The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/china-is-flooding-america-with-illegal-vapes-and-more-than-90-fly-under-the-radar">reported</a>. Experts say Chinese manufacturers intentionally mislabel their products to avoid duties, tariffs, and FDA regulations.
In late 2023, CBP agents <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ecigarettes-elf-bar-fda-teen-vaping-434dc600866cf2a626aa8c7a0063ac43">seized</a> $18 million worth of illegal vapes mislabeled as shoes, toys, and other items.
The influx of illegal vapes led Attorneys General from 27 states to <a href="https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/IACIO/2025/04/10/file_attachments/3226671/2025.04.09%20-%20Letter%20on%20Chinese%20E-Cigarettes.pdf">write</a> a letter to the Trump administration asking for help &#8220;combating the flood of illegal Chinese products — including illegal Chinese e-cigarettes marketed to minors.&#8221;
&#8220;Illegal, flavored Chinese e-cigarettes are flooding the U.S. market in flagrant disregard of State and federal laws. The products have never been approved by the FDA and target America’s youth,&#8221; the Attorneys General wrote in April. &#8220;They are often brought into the country in mislabeled packaging or shipped in a manner specifically designed to evade detection by the FDA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.&#8221;

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In a landmark decision this week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld West Virginia’s near-total ban on chemical abortions — a major win for federalism, health and safety, and the pro-life cause. This ruling affirms what we at March for Life have long believed: states have both a right and a responsibility to protect life and public health, even when it means outpacing the federal government in doing so.
The key question before the court was this: if the federal government, through the FDA, has approved a drug for use nationwide, can a state nonetheless decide to further restrict or even ban that drug within its own borders?
The Fourth Circuit — not a court known for reaching “conservative” outcomes — answered with a resounding “yes.” And that answer has profound implications, both for abortion policy and for the authority of the states to chart their own paths in matters of health and safety.
Let’s break it down.
Plaintiff GenBioPro — a manufacturer of generic mifepristone — argued that the FDA’s approval of the drug should preempt West Virginia’s more stringent restrictions. In other words, GenBioPro wanted the federal stamp of approval for mifepristone to override the state’s pro-life laws.
The court rejected that argument.
The majority pointed out that under our federalist system, states have the authority to regulate matters of health and safety. Congress, therefore, when granting the FDA authority over drug regulation, “intended to create a regulatory floor, not a ceiling.”
In other words, states cannot weaken federal safety standards – but they absolutely can strengthen them.
This matters because abortion drugs like mifepristone are not like ordinary medications. They have the power to end a human life — and increasingly, they do so without any in-person medical oversight. That’s not just a pro-life concern — it’s a basic medical and ethical concern. Chemical abortion carries significant risks, including hemorrhage, infection, and even death, particularly when used outside a clinical setting.
West Virginia’s legislature recognized those risks and chose to act, including chemical abortions in its law prohibiting abortion in most circumstances. Their law protects
unborn children, yes. But it also protects women from the harms of a deregulated chemical abortion industry. The Fourth Circuit’s decision affirms that West Virginia is fully within its rights to do so.
On its face, this is a case about “preemption,” a legal doctrine that determines when federal law overrides state law. But the Fourth Circuit reminds us that preemption isn’t a magic wand that erases the traditional powers of the states every time it’s waved. Preemption applies only when an intention to preempt state authority has been clearly expressed by Congress — and in the case of abortion pills, it hasn’t been.
The court concluded that in defining the FDA’s regulatory authority, Congress never said states must surrender their own traditional authority over abortion regulation or drug safety. And in the post-Dobbs era, the Supreme Court has made clear that regulating abortion is now a matter for the elected representatives of the people, including at the state level.
The outcome of this case about the preemption doctrine is therefore not merely a legal technicality. It’s a moral and political turning point.
The pro-life movement has always believed that the people, through their elected representatives, should have the power to restrict abortion in their communities. Dobbs confirmed this vision. And the Fourth Circuit’s ruling helps make that vision a reality. States that want to defend life and prioritize women’s safety can move forward confidently, knowing they are not hamstrung by FDA decisions shaped by politics, ideology, or abortion industry pressure.
To be clear, this decision affirming that states are free to take a more restrictive approach to chemical abortions does not let the FDA off the hook. We continue to urge the FDA to perform its own rigorous health and safety analysis of mifepristone, consistent with the responsibilities given to it by Congress and its obligations to the American people.
The court says that FDA regulation is a “floor” upon which the states can build – and that floor should be higher than it currently is. But our federalist system of government requires that states be empowered to determine that the interests of their citizens are best served by laws that are more pro-life than the federal “floor,” and then to act accordingly.
Thanks to the leadership of West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey, West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey, and legal advocates like Alliance Defending Freedom, this case sets a precedent that will impact legislation and litigation across the country.
We at March for Life are encouraged — but not complacent. We know the abortion industry and profit-driven drug manufacturers will continue to fight tooth and nail to
eliminate any limits on chemical abortion, including in states that have chosen to protect life. But with this ruling, the courts have affirmed what is both constitutional and common sense: states can lead the way in defending life.
This is not just a victory for West Virginia. It’s a victory for every state that dares to protect its citizens — born and unborn — with the boldness to stand against a one-size-fits-all federal agenda.
Jennie Bradley Lichter is the President of March for Life and former Deputy Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council. 
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Appeals Court Keeps Abortion Pill Mifepristone Available, But With Restrictions

States Need To Go Further Than The Federal Government On Banning Chemical Abortions

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Actress Michelle Pfeiffer called out a “very concerning” additive that’s been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be sprayed on organic produce, putting some of the blame on billionaire Bill Gates.
“Apeel (an edible, plant-based coating designed to extend the shelf life of fresh fruits and vegetables) was just approved and now ‘organic’ produce is coated in something we cannot see or wash off,” the 67-year-old wrote on her Instagram Stories Thursday, per <a href="https://pagesix.com/2025/07/11/celebrity-news/michelle-pfeiffer-blasts-very-concerning-fda-approved-food-technology-once-backed-by-bill-gates/">Page Six</a>. “Very concerning,” she added. 
Her warning was attached to an original post that said, “Organic produce is no longer safe. Bill Gates’ Apeel just got approved for USDA-certified organic.” 
Pfeiffer also advised followers on which grocery stores would not sell produce treated with Apeel.
The company Apeel was founded in 2012 by entrepreneur James Rogers and got a jump start thanks to a $100,000 grant from the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation, as The Daily Mail <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14896749/Michelle-Pfeiffer-launches-extraordinary-attack-Bill-Gates-suggests-hell-contaminate-Americas-food-supply.html">noted</a>, but beyond that, the Gates family is not associated with the brand.
The company received significant backing from venture capitalist Andreessen Horowitz.
“Bill Gates has zero involvement or ownership in Apeel. We’re a team who value honesty and transparency, dedicated to enhancing food accessibility and sustainability,” a 2024 statement <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C587l6cJUwS/?hl=en&amp;img_index=2">posted</a> on the official Apeel Instagram said. 
A spokesperson for Apeel told Page Six, “It is both disappointing and concerning to see a public figure like Michelle Pfeiffer use her platform to spread disinformation about our company, our mission, and the work of our employees.”
The statement continued, “Apeel Sciences remains committed to correcting the record and defending our work in the face of disinformation. We urge Ms. Pfeiffer and others to do their research before contributing to the spread of falsehoods on social media.”
The company claims on its <a href="https://www.apeel.com/product-information">website</a> that the coating, which helps prolong the shelf life of produce, is made from “non-GMO, responsibly-sourced plant oils” that “are distilled into purified mono- and diglycerides that we use to create an additional edible layer, or peel, on fresh produce to help keep moisture in and oxygen out. These naturally occurring, fatty acid-based ingredients are found in plant peels, regular dietary fats, and everyday foods, and they have a long history of safe consumption.”
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Michelle Pfeiffer

Michelle Pfeiffer Blasts Bill Gates After Organic Produce Additive Approved By U.S. Health Officials

Michelle Pfeiffer Blames Bill Gates For FDA Approved Additive Sprayed On Organic Produce

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FDA Commissioner Marty Makary has committed to reviewing the abortion pill&#8217;s safety, according to Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO).
Hawley posted a letter he received from Makary on social media, noting the FDA head promised to review the safety of mifepristone, the popular abortion drug.
&#8220;As the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, I am committed to conducting a review of mifepristone and working with the professional career scientists at the Agency who review this data,&#8221; Makary wrote in his letter to Hawley.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
FDA chief Marty Makary just committed to me to do a full review of the chemical abortion drug’s safety: “As Commissioner of Food and Drugs, I am committed to conducting a review of mifepristone” 👇 <a href="https://t.co/nMxUhE18UA">pic.twitter.com/nMxUhE18UA</a>
&mdash; Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1929696353010987013?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;As with all drugs, FDA continues to closely monitor the postmarketing safety data on mifepristone for the medical termination of early pregnancy,&#8221; Makary wrote.
Makary also noted that mifepristone is currently enmeshed in legal battles.
&#8220;FDA generally does not comment on matters that are the subject of pending litigation and therefore is unable to provide further information on this topic at this time,&#8221; the FDA chief said.
&#8220;FDA is committed to safeguarding public health by ensuring the safety, efficacy, and quality of the products it regulates,&#8221; Makary wrote. &#8220;The Agency carefully evaluates the scientific data, leveraging rigorous science to make informed decisions.&#8221;
The two-pill chemical abortion regimen — mifepristone, usually followed by misoprostol — aims to end the life of the unborn baby and expel it from the woman’s uterus. However, the drugs sometimes fail to expel all the fetal tissue, which can cause life-threatening complications.
An <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/abortion-pill-22-times-more-dangerous-than-fda-claimed-new-study-says?author=Mairead+Elordi&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=7&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Abortion+Pill+22+Times+More+Dangerous+Than+FDA+Claimed%2C+New+Study+Says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">analysis</a> released in April found that more than one in 10 women experienced a “serious adverse event” after taking the mifepristone abortion pill in 2023. This can include hemorrhaging, needing a blood transfusion, an emergency room visit, and even deadly conditions like sepsis.
That is about 22 times higher than what the FDA listed on its label for the brand Mifeprex in 2023. The FDA <a href="https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2023/020687Orig1s025Lbl.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cited</a> clinical studies saying less than 0.5% of women suffered “serious adverse reactions” to mifepristone.
Meanwhile, more than one in 20 women need a second abortion attempt after the abortion pill fails, another analysis of insurance claim data <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/more-than-1-in-20-women-need-second-abortion-attempt-after-abortion-pill-fails?author=Mairead+Elordi&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=More+Than+1+in+20+Women+Need+Second+Abortion+Attempt+After+Abortion+Pill+Fails" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released</a> this week showed.
Last month, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., head of the Department of Health and Human Services, told lawmakers he had requested the FDA do a “complete review” of the abortion pill in the wake of the new data.
“It’s alarming,” RFK Jr. told Hawley during a Senate committee hearing.
“Clearly, it indicates that at the very least the label should be changed,” he said. “I’ve asked Marty Makary, who’s the director of the FDA, to do a complete review and to report back.”
A few months before Roe v. Wade was overturned, the FDA scrapped the requirement that women must obtain abortion pills in person from a healthcare provider, allowing them to get them online through the mail.

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