Abortion pills could be stocked at retail pharmacies following FDA green light

According to the U.S. FDA (Food and Drug Administration), the country will allow the availability of abortion pills at retail pharmacies as an increasing number of states look to ban medication abortion.

Pharmacies can now apply for the certification required to distribute mifepristone abortion pills with any of the two manufacturing companies. Once certified, it will be able to sell to anyone who provides a valid prescription.

This change will improve the access to abortion as the current administration struggles to protect abortion rights following the Supreme Court decision (Roe v Wade overturned) that ended up in state bans.

The FDA reviewed applications from the companies that manufacture abortion pills, GenBioPro and Danco Labs, and finalized the changes regarding removing the restrictions on mail-order prescriptions and abortion pills using telehealth. As per FDA, the changes were to be made a year ago in December when REMS (risk evaluation and mitigation strategies) were to be relaxed and were done so due to the pandemic.

Mifepristone is used along with misoprostol, in combination, for medication abortion, which is to induce abortion up to a maximum of 10 weeks into the pregnancy. The combination has numerous other uses as well.

According to abortion rights activists, abortion pills do not have a risk of addiction or overdose and have proven to be effective and safe. Women can buy these pills without a prescription in multiple countries, like Mexico and India among others.

Alexis McGill Johson (Planned Parenthood President) stated, “Today’s news is a step in the right direction for health equity. Being able to access your prescribed medication abortion through the mail or to pick it up in person from a pharmacy like any other prescription is a game changer for people trying to access basic health care.”

GenBioPro, the company that manufactures generic mifepristone, stated that equal access will not be provided to all people after the change. Some abortion bans that are directed toward mifepristone have been put into effect in numerous states since the Supreme Court ruling. Women in such states may have to travel to other states for medication abortion.

Marjorie Dannenfelser, SBA Pro-Life America’s president claims that these changes endanger the safety of women and their unborn kids. She also said that the state lawmakers should be against the pro-abortion fanaticism of the Biden administration.

The FDA records till June 2021 show that of the 4.9M people that took the mifepristone pill, 26 deaths are associated with it. The drug was approved 22 years ago in September 2000. Whether or not to stock the pill is up to the retail pharmacies, considering it comes with some political controversy.

A CVS Health spokesperson said that the drugstore chain owner was studying the updated REMS certification requirements for abortion pills to find out the prerequisites to distribute in the states that have no restrictions on medications used for ending the pregnancy.

A Walgreens spokesperson also said the same regarding the regulatory change and stated that the company will keep on enabling its pharmacists to supply medications in line with state and federal law.