Two of America’s largest pharmacies have announced plans to launch mifepristone, a prescription abortion pill, this month. CVS and Walgreens announced that they will begin distribution next week in states where abortion is still legal. The move follows last year’s approval by the US Food and Drug Administration for both companies to sell the pill. Abortion pills are currently available in clinics, and some states allow for telemedicine prescriptions and mail delivery to patients.
CVS and Walgreens will initially introduce the pill in key pharmacies in New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, California, and Illinois.
US Supreme Court is about to decide whether the pill can be obtained via mail without an in-person doctor visit
During this phase, companies will keep track of certain quality, safety, and privacy parameters for both patients and pharmacy staff.
It should be noted that the US Supreme Court is about to decide whether the pill can be obtained via mail without an in-person doctor visit. A Walgreens spokesperson told the BBC that the company will not “dispense in states where the laws are unclear” to protect employees.
With plans to make the pill available in retail pharmacies such as CVS and Walgreens, doctors could send prescriptions to these locations for patients to pick up from pharmacists.
Court rulings on mifepristone availability
Despite anti-abortion groups’ efforts to remove mifepristone from the market in the United States, a federal appeals court ruled in favor of widespread access to the pill, though mail delivery or telemedicine prescriptions were not permitted.
The Supreme Court will soon hear this case, and if the ruling stands, patients will be required to obtain the pill in person from a clinic, doctor, or pharmacy.
Mifepristone, which was approved in 2000, is the first of two pills recommended by the FDA to terminate a pregnancy. It works by blocking progesterone, a hormone required for pregnancy, while the second pill, misoprostol, clears the uterus.
Mifepristone is also used to treat miscarriages and Cushing syndrome, a hormonal disorder in women.
