Walgreens becomes first major national pharmacy chain to say it will sell abortion pill

Walgreens’ parent company is the first major drugstore chain to say it will sell the abortion pill under new rules set by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The new rules, issued Tuesday, allow any pharmacy to become certified to dispense mifepristone, the hormone-blocking drug needed for a successful pregnancy.

The drug is FDA-approved for use up to 10 weeks of pregnancy.

Walgreens announced Wednesday that it would file an application to sell mifepristone at its locations across the country where abortion is not illegal.

The drug was previously approved by only a handful of mail-order pharmacies, and only licensed physicians could prescribe it. However, it has been approved by the FDA since 2000.

On Wednesday, Walgreens, which owns Duane Reade, said it would only sell the drug in states where abortion is legal.

He did not offer a timeline for when he would start filing orders for mifepristone.

“We intend to become a certified pharmacy under the program,” a spokesman for the conglomerate said on Wednesday.

“We are working on registration, necessary training of our pharmacists, as well as evaluating our pharmacy network in terms of where we typically dispense products that have additional FDA requirements and will dispense them in accordance with federal and state laws.” .

Other large national drugstore chains like Rite Aid and CVS say they are still reviewing the new FDA rules.

The new FDA rules will require pharmacies that want to dispense the pills to become certified and promise to fill prescriptions only for those certified to prescribe the drugs.

Some independent pharmacies have also said they plan to become certified to dispense abortion pills, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

Ronna Hauser, senior vice president of pharmaceutical affairs and policy for the National Association of Community Pharmacists, which represents nearly 20,000 pharmacists, said pharmacies across the country will make “personal business decisions” regarding the sale of the pill.

Pill abortions now account for more than 50 percent of abortions in the US, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

Other national drugstore chains are still mulling the new FDA rule that would allow them to dispense the abortion pill

Women seeking an abortion via the pill take a dose of mifepristone, followed 1 to 2 days later by a dose of misoprostol, a drug that causes uterine contractions.

According to the pro-abortion organization the Guttmacher Institute, more than 50 percent of abortions in the US are now completed by taking the pills.

Since the US Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade last June, the average travel time to an abortion clinic has tripled, given the new, stricter restrictions enacted in some states.

GenBioPro, which makes the generic version of mifepristone, welcomed the FDA’s decision.

A statement issued Tuesday by CE Evan Masingill said: “Today’s announcement from the FDA expands access to medicines that are essential for reproductive autonomy and is a step in the right direction that is especially needed to increase access to care. of abortion”.

Since Roe v. Wade, 13 states have banned abortions, while five others have placed restrictions on the procedure.

According to figures recorded in August, abortions dropped to almost zero in states where it was banned or restricted during this period, but rose by nearly 5,000 in those where the procedure was still permitted.