Retail pharmacies can offer abortion pills in the United States thanks to a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory change, GenBioPro and Danco Laboratories, makers of the abortion pill mifepristone, have reported separately in statements cited by the New York Times. The FDA has not issued a statement explaining this regulatory change, but instead plans to update its policy on its website and has previously communicated it to companies.
More than half of abortions in the United States are performed using these pills, which are administered during the first trimester of pregnancy. The FDA’s decision eases access to the same months after the Supreme Court struck down abortion as a constitutional right across the country and sent its regulation to states.
The FDA has already removed the requirement that healthcare professionals receive abortion pills in person during in-person visits. He did it first because of the pandemic and then permanently removed that requirement. So the recipe made its way via video, telephone or internet. Despite this, distribution channels for the pills were restricted to licensed physicians, clinics and limited mail order, and distribution through major retail pharmacy chains was not possible.
requirements
Sales remain subject to prescription and some other logistical and regulatory compliance requirements that can make it difficult to get to pharmacies quickly, especially for large chains. Additionally, state regulations make the pills illegal in many states. The decision to market them or not also depends on their assessment of how the decision is perceived by their customers.
Evan Masingill, CEO of GenBioPro, maker of generic mifepristone, said in a statement quoted by local media, “Today’s FDA announcement expands access to drugs essential to reproductive autonomy and is a step in the right direction. There is a particular need to improve access to abortion care.” It adds, “Despite FDA expert judgment, some states have restricted access to abortion care, so unfortunately today’s announcement will not provide equal access for all.”
For its part, Danco Laboratories, in another statement cited by Axios, says: “At a time when people across the country are struggling to obtain abortion services, this change is critical to expanding access to abortion services with medicines and providing healthcare professionals with an additional method to offer their patients a safe and effective way to terminate an early pregnancy.”