CVS and Walgreens to start selling abortion pills

Walgreens, CVS and two of the biggest U.S. pharmacies plan to offer abortion pills in this month. The companies confirmed the news on Friday.

Why it matters: This move will make mifepristone more available at a time when the Supreme Court is weighing access to the pill. It’s the first major abortion issue the court has tackled since Roe V. Wade was overturned.

The Supreme Court is expected to rule by the end of June on a dispute involving access to mifepristone.

The big picture: Two chains have received certifications to dispense mifepristone in accordance with the Food and Drug Administration’s regulations issued last year.

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The medication will be rolled out in states that allow abortion.

Walgreens has said that it will begin dispensing in a few days, according to federal and state law, at select locations throughout New York, Pennsylvania Massachusetts, California, and Illinois.

CVS announced in a press release that it will fill prescriptions in the coming weeks in all states where legal, including Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

CVS stated that they are working with the manufacturers and suppliers to secure this medication. They have not yet dispensing in any of their pharmacies.

Zoom out: In a Friday statement, President Biden called this move “an important landmark” and said that mifepristone had been approved by the FDA as safe and effective for over 20 years.

He said that, “With major retail pharmacies now certified to dispense medication abortion, women will be able to pick up their prescriptions at local certified pharmacies, just as they do for any other medication,”

The president said, “I encourage all pharmacists who want to pursue certification to do so.”

Background: The FDA has changed its regulations to allow pharmacies to be certified to dispense mifepristone.

The laws in the states where approved pharmacies are located still apply, and some restrict the access to abortion pills.

Only after receiving a prescription by a certified healthcare provider can a pharmacy offer mifepristone.