The nationâs two largest pharmacy chains will begin dispensing the abortion pill mifepristone this month, starting in a handful of states and gradually expanding to all other states where abortion is legal.
Woonsocket, R.I.-based CVS will begin dispensing mifepristone to patients with prescriptions in all of its pharmacies in Massachusetts and Rhode Island âin the weeks ahead,â according to spokesperson Amy Thibault. Walgreens will begin dispensing the abortion pill âwithin a weekâ Walgreens spokesperson Fraser Engerman said, and will begin providing mifepristone in Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, California, and Illinois.
âWeâve received certification to dispense mifepristone at CVS Pharmacy and plan to fill prescriptions for this medication in states where legally permissible,â Thibault told the Globe in a statement Friday. âWeâre working with manufacturers and suppliers to secure the medication, and are not yet dispensing it in any of our pharmacies. Weâll begin filling prescriptions for the medication in Massachusetts and Rhode Island in the weeks ahead and will expand to additional states, where allowed by law, on a rolling basis.â
Walgreens also said it would gradually expand to other states where abortion was legal and where pharmacies were legally able to dispense the abortion pills, Engerman said.
Both CVS and Walgreens received certification to dispense the abortion pill under guidelines issued by the Food and Drug Administration last year.
The pharmacy chains said they would be monitoring the possibility of providing the abortion pill in states where abortion bans or limitations have been enacted but not enforced due to legal challenges, including Kansas, Montana, and Wyoming.
In both Rhode Island and Massachusetts, mifepristone is already available in clinics or easily prescribed through telemedicine and dispensed through the mail, and it is uncertain how much initial demand there will be.
The pharmacy option could take on more importance later this month when the Supreme Court hears a case from abortion opponents who have sued the FDA seeking to remove mifepristone from the US market. If the Supreme Court upholds a lower court ruling, it could mean that patients would have to obtain mifepristone in person, by visiting a clinic, doctor, or pharmacy.
Mifepristone is one part of a two-drug regimen that blocks a hormone that is needed for a pregnancy to continue. When used together with another medicine called misoprostol, it is used to end a pregnancy through around 10 weeks, according to the FDA. Mifepristone is taken first, followed by misoprostol 24 hours to 48 hours later.
Medication abortion is the most common method for terminating pregnancies in the United States. It was first approved by the FDA in 2000.
This story has been updated with comments from Fraser Engerman.
Brittany Bowker can be reached at brittany.bowker@globe.com. Follow her @brittbowker and also on Instagram @brittbowker.