Drug stores like CVS and Walgreens can now fill prescriptions for abortion pills as long as they meet certain requirements, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has ruled.
On Tuesday, the FDA made a regulatory change for the first abortion pill — mifepristone — that now allows retail and mail-order pharmacies to fulfill prescriptions as long as they go through a certification process, Politico reported.
About half of abortions are performed using the two-pill system.
Mifepristone blocks the pregnancy development hormone and is prescribed up to the 13th week of pregnancy. Misoprostol causes the uterus to contract to expel the tissue. The second pill, taken up to 48 hours after the first, has never been severely restricted.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade lifted, travel times for abortion seekers have tripled, particularly in states with severe restrictions.
Retail pharmacies like CVS can now be certified to fill mifepristone. Part of the certification process includes establishing a designated person to maintain compliance
Mifepristone, unlike its counterpart misoprostol, is only approved for abortion medicine and some miscarriages. It was approved in 2000. About half of abortions are performed using the two-pill system
Access to abortion has become a hot topic after the coup, with many taking to the streets (pictured).
Mifepristone, unlike its counterpart, is only approved for abortion medicine and some miscarriages. It was approved in 2000.
Prior to Tuesday, mifepristone could only be made available to patients by mail or pickup at doctors’ offices.
The regulatory change will give millions of Americans access to abortions, but it’s unclear which pharmacies will opt into the new change, considering many states like Texas have introduced restrictive abortion laws.
To comply with mifepristone, pharmacies must have a designated employee to ensure compliance, among other requirements not typically implemented for other drugs.
However, the companies that make the drug called the change a win.
Danco, which makes the branded product Mifeprex, and GenBioPro, which makes the generic version, jointly filed papers with the FDA asking that the dispensing process be reviewed to include pharmacies, according to Politico.
It takes about 100 minutes on average to get to an abortion clinic, compared to just 30 minutes in 2021
Celebrating the recent change, Danco Laboratories stated, “At a time when people across the country are struggling to obtain abortion services, this change is critical to expanding access to medical abortion services and will provide healthcare providers with an additional method of… Providing them offer patients a safe and effective way to terminate an early pregnancy.’
GenBioPro CEO Evan Masingill agreed in a statement, saying, “Today’s FDA announcement expands access to drugs essential to reproductive autonomy and is a step in the right direction that is particularly needed to improve access to abortion care.”
The FDA didn’t provide a statement about the change, but the two companies said the government agency had informed both that the website was being updated.
Last year, the agency lifted some restrictions on the pill and eliminated the need for the pill to be picked up in person.
The only requirements that remain are: healthcare providers must certify that they understand the drug will be used for abortions, and patients must sign an informed consent form.
It’s unclear which pharmacies will implement the new change, as many states have had limited access to abortions since the overthrow
Just before the midterm elections, a report revealed that travel times for abortions had changed since the fall of Roe v. Wade increased by threefold.
One of the studies estimated that it now takes an average of about 100 minutes to get to an abortion clinic, compared to just 30 minutes in 2021.
A second report showed that orders for abortion pills abroad have surged, particularly in states like Louisiana and Arkansas, where the surgery has been banned.
A third study suggested that depression and domestic violence could increase as a result of unwanted pregnancies.
Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, 13 states have banned abortion, while five others have restricted the procedure.
There were 79,620 abortions in August, down 6 percent from April.
Abortions fell to nearly zero in states that banned or restricted them during that period, but rose by nearly 5,000 in those that still allowed the procedure.