US pharmacy giants to start selling abortion pill mifepristone
File photo of the abortion pill mifepristone.
Two of America’s largest pharmacy companies have announced their plans to roll out a prescription abortion pill this month, called mifepristone. CVS and Walgreens said they will start distribution next week in states where abortion is still legal. The move comes after the US Food and Drug Administration last year allowed both companies to sell the pill. Abortion pills are currently accessible in clinics and some states allow them to be prescribed via telemedicine and sent to patients by mail.
Where the pill will be first available?
CVS and Walgreens will first roll out the pill in key pharmacies in New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, California and Illinois.
During this phase, companies will monitor certain parameters regarding quality, safety and privacy for both patients and pharmacy staff.
It must be noted that the US Supreme Court is all set to decide whether the pill could be acquired by mail without an in-person doctor visit. A spokesperson for Walgreens was quoted by BBC as saying that the company will not "dispense in states where the laws are unclear", to protect staff.
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With plans to make the pill available in retail pharmacies like CVS or Walgreens, doctors could send prescriptions directly to these locations for patients to pick up from pharmacists.
Court rulings over mifepristone availability
Despite efforts by anti-abortion groups to remove mifepristone from the market in the US, widespread access to the pill has been supported by a federal appeals court, though it ruled against mail delivery or telemedicine prescriptions.
The Supreme Court will soon review this case, and if the ruling stands, patients will need to obtain the pill in person from a clinic, doctor, or pharmacy.
Mifepristone, approved in 2000, is the first part of the FDA-recommended two-pill regimen to terminate a pregnancy. It works by blocking progesterone, a hormone necessary for pregnancy, while the second pill, misoprostol, empties the uterus.
Additionally, mifepristone is used to treat conditions like miscarriages and Cushing syndrome, a hormone-related disorder in women.
(With inputs from agencies)