Two of the largest drugstore chains in the U.S. have announced their plans to dispense mifepristone — an abortion pill — in select states within weeks. CVS Health will begin providing the abortifacient at their pharmacies in Rhode Island and neighboring Massachusetts, with Walgreens rolling out its dispensing services in specific locations in New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, California, and Illinois.
A spokesman for Walgreens said the decision to make mifepristone available in only a few states was to “ensure quality, safety, and privacy for our patients, providers, and team members.” A spokeswoman for CVS Health said the drug would be made available in additional states “where allowed by law, on a rolling basis.”
President Joe Biden called the companies’ announcements an “important milestone” in ensuring access to abortion. He encouraged other pharmacies to seek certification to offer the drug. The decision by CVS and Walgreens comes over a year after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded the availability of abortion pills to include large pharmacy chains and mail-order companies.
The FDA first approved mifepristone in 2000 to terminate pregnancies up to 10 weeks, in combination with a secondary drug, misoprostol. The distribution of these drugs was — until recently — limited to specialized clinics and offices due to safety precautions. Presently, the U.S. Supreme Court is considering a challenge from conservative groups to reverse mifepristone’s approval or modify policies that facilitate its acquisition.
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