CVS and Walgreens announced that they will begin dispensing the abortion drug mifepristone in pharmacies in some states later this month.
Officials from the two largest U.S. pharmacy chains said in interviews Friday that they were certified to dispense mifepristone under guidelines issued last year by the Food and Drug Administration. The New York Times first reported.
Spokespeople confirmed to the Post that the chains initially plan to make the drug available at select Walgreens pharmacies in New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, California, and Illinois as early as next week. That’s what it means.
“We are beginning a phased rollout in select regions to ensure quality, safety and privacy for our patients, healthcare professionals and team members,” said Wal-Mart, which has more than 8,600 pharmacies across the United States. the Green representative added.
He added that to protect its pharmacists and staff, Walgreens “will not dispense in states where the laws are unclear,” including Kansas, Montana and Wyoming, where abortion laws have been challenged and are currently stalled. .
Meanwhile, CVS plans to make the pills available at all pharmacies in Massachusetts and Rhode Island “in the coming weeks,” spokeswoman Amy Thibault told the Times.
The Rhode Island-based retailer, which boasts more than 400 pharmacies nationwide, said it “continually monitors and evaluates changes in state laws and will continue to monitor and evaluate changes in state laws and will Thibault confirmed in a statement that he planned to “dispense Fepristone.” To the post.
CVS added, “We will gradually expand to additional states as permitted by law.”
Still, in some states where abortion is legal, dispensing mifepristone by a pharmacist is illegal and can only be done by a doctor or in a hospital or clinic.
For each change in FDA’s Mifepristone REMS Program As of January 2023, this pill (most commonly sold under the brand names Mifeprex and Korlym) has been approved as “certified by or under the supervision of a certified prescriber, or based on a prescription issued by a certified prescriber.” It can only be dispensed by a pharmacy.”
Danco Laboratories manufactures Mifeprex and Corcept Therapeutics manufactures Korlym.
Nevada-based GenBioPro also makes generic mifepristone tablets.
Engerman said Walgreens is authorized to sell the drug by brand-name manufacturer Danko Laboratories and is seeking certification from GenBioPro. According to the Times, CVS was certified by GenBioPro.
To obtain this certification, CVS and Walgreens had to ensure that their computerized systems protect prescriber privacy. Prescribers had to ensure they were certified under a separate FDA program that applies to mifepristone and dozens of other drugs, and also met certain other steps. The Times reported.
The drug can be easily prescribed via telemedicine in some states and sent to brick-and-mortar pharmacies, but it’s usually not readily available, even to qualified health care providers.
As the availability of retail pharmacies expands, pharmacies could become a more popular option, and depending on the outcome of a case heard by the Supreme Court later this month, the option could become more important. there is.
With the expanding availability of mifepristone in retail stores, the pill is expected to become a more popular alternative to abortion. Abortion critics are suing the FDA for mifepristone, which will depend on the outcome of the case, which the Supreme Court is likely to hear later this month. According to the Times, it was pulled from the U.S. market.
The Court of Appeals’ decision in this case prohibited mifepristone from being mailed and instead required an in-person doctor’s visit to obtain the drug, which is used for pregnancies less than 70 days into pregnancy.
Abortion with abortion pills is a two-drug therapy. First, patients take mifepristone, which blocks hormones needed for pregnancy development, followed by misoprostol for 24 to 48 hours to trigger contractions that expel pregnancy tissue. According to the Times.
The same prescription is also used for miscarriage.
