FDA gives OK for CVS, Walgreens abortion drug distribution

CVS, Walgreens abortion drug overview: 

• Who: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted approval to Walgreens and CVS to begin distributing the abortion drug mifepristone, according to media reports.
• Why: CVS and Walgreens announced plans to distribute mifepristone in states where the drug is legal.
• Where: CVS abortion drug distribution will begin in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, while Walgreens will start distributing the drug in New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, California and Illinois.

Federal authorities have greenlit CVS and Walgreens to distribute an abortion drug, according to media reports.

The New York Times reported March 1 that the two pharmacy chains announced in interviews that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had granted them certification to dispense mifepristone.

CVS abortion drug distribution will begin in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, according to reporting from the Times. Walgreens will start distributing the drug in New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, California and Illinois, the company says.

Both companies said they ultimately plan to sell mifepristone in all states where abortion and pharmacy distribution of abortion drugs are both legal.

“Our goals in identifying these locations were to meet patient demand and remain consistent with how we have provided access to other medications where a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) program is required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA),” Walgreens wrote.

Mifepristone approved as safe, effective for more than 20 years

The FDA approved mifepristone as safe and effective for more than 20 years, according to a statement from President Joe Biden. Biden urged other pharmacies to apply for the same FDA certification CVS and Walgreens received.

“The stakes could not be higher for women across America,” Biden said in his statement. “In the face of relentless attacks on reproductive freedom by Republican elected officials, Vice President Harris and I will continue to fight to ensure that women can get the health care they need, to defend the Food and Drug Administration’s independent and evidence-based approval and regulation of mifepristone, and to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade in federal law.” 

Walgreens and CVS announced in January 2023 they would seek FDA certification to distribute mifepristone after the agency announced it had modified its policy to allow retail pharmacies to dispense the drug.

Do you believe mifepristone should be available universally? Let us know in the comments.

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