What We’re Reading: Self-Induced Abortions Increase; Child Suicide Rates Climb; FDA Drug Application Costs Rise

Study: More US Women Have Attempted to Self-Induce Their Abortions Since the Overturning of Roe v Wade

A recent study found that roughly 7% of US women of reproductive age have attempted self-induced abortions, up from 5% before the overturning of Roe v Wade in 2022, according to The Guardian. Since the Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, which overturned Roe v Wade, 14 states have enacted near-total abortion bans. Therefore, the study determined how many women reported ever “self-managing” their abortions in 2021 and again in 2023 to analyze how the overturning of Roe v Wade affected self-managed abortions. Of the women in 2023 who attempted to induce their abortion, 11% said they used mifepristone, one of the abortion pills typically used in a 2-pill protocol; similarly, 13.7% said they used misoprostol, the other pill, on its own. However, more women tried to end their pregnancies in potentially unsafe ways. In 2023, 25% used herbs, 22% hit themselves in the stomach, and 19% used alcohol or other drugs.

FDA Drug Application Costs Will Rise by About $300,000 in 2025

The FDA announced that the cost of filing a drug using clinical data will increase by about $300,000 in 2025 to $4.3 million, according to Pharmaceutical Technology. Yesterday, the agency released the federal docket, “Prescription Drug User Fee Rates for Fiscal Year 2025,” outlining the new fees that pharmaceutical companies will face following clinical trials to possibly get market access. It reported that filing for approval with clinical data will cost $4.3 million. However, an application that does not require clinical data will cost just under $2.2 million. Therefore, these costs increased by about $300,000 for a clinical data application, which cost $4 million in 2024; the costs increased by about $150,000 for an application that does not require clinical data, which cost $2 million in 2024. The new fees go into effect on October 1, 2024, and will remain so until September 30, 2025.

Child Suicide Rates Have Continued to Climb in the Past 15 Years, Study Finds

A recent study found that the suicide rate among US children aged between 8 to 12 years, also known as preteens, has steadily risen during the past 15 years, with a disproportionate increase among girls, according to The Washington Post. Between 2001 and 2022, 2241 preteens died by suicide; suicide rates increased by about 8% annually from 2008 to 2022. The researchers noted that 482 preteens died by suicide at a rate of 3.34 per 1 million preteens from 2001 through 2007. However, the number of suicides among preteens rose to 1759 from 2008 to 2022, with a rate of 5.71 per 1 million preteens. Although boys have a higher suicide rate than girls, suicide among preteen girls has disproportionately increased in the past 15 years; the rate of suicide for preteen girls was 1.25 per 1 million from 2001 through 2007 and rose to 4.15 per 1 million between 2008 and 2022. Although the researchers did not blame a specific reason for the increase, experts uninvolved with the study say the problem is multifaceted, identifying social media, technology, and social media as the main causes.