FDA nominee Overton commits to Alaska food inspections and salmon labeling but not mifepristone access

Heidi Overton, President Trump's nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration, told Sen. Lisa Murkowski on Thursday that she would keep the agency's contract with Alaska's food safety inspectors and work with her on labeling genetically engineered salmon. Overton did not commit on the third issue Murkowski raised: mail access to the abortion pill mifepristone.

Murkowski questioned Overton at her confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, where Murkowski is a member. The committee will vote on whether to send the nomination to the full Senate.

Murkowski said the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation handles about 60% of the state's food processing inspections under a contract with the FDA. Overton agreed to keep that arrangement in place.

The FDA approved AquAdvantage salmon, the first genetically engineered animal approved for people to eat, in 2015. Murkowski has pressed the agency for years on how it is labeled, including with past FDA nominees. Asked again Thursday, Overton said, "Yes, Senator, I will work with you to have accurate labeling."

Since January 2023, FDA rules have allowed mifepristone to be prescribed through telehealth and sent by mail or filled at certified pharmacies. That change permanently dropped a requirement that patients receive the pill in person. The FDA has said it is reviewing the safety of those rules, and a lawsuit by Louisiana challenging them is pending.

Murkowski said going back to in-person dispensing would put about 80% of Alaska's communities "in a very challenging position in terms of access to providers." Overton did not commit to keeping mail access in place.

Asked separately by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., whether she agreed mifepristone is safe and effective, Overton said the drug met the FDA's safety and efficacy standards when it was approved and that her job would be to follow the standards set in law.