Walgreens, CVS Plan to Provide Abortion Pills following FDA Rule Change

Walgreens and CVS, the two largest pharmacy chains in the U.S., plan to provide abortion pills in store following a recent FDA regulatory change that permitted retail pharmacies to dispense the medicine.

Under the agency’s rule revision, pharmacies can apply to become certified to offer mifepristone, which can terminate pregnancies in the first-trimester in conjunction with a second drug, misoprostol. One of two manufacturers, GenBioPro and Danco Laboratories, must certify the pharmacies. Patients will be able to receive mifepristone only from the pharmacy if it obtained a prescription from a certified health provider. Before the FDA’s latest policy update, patients had to pick up the pill from a few mail-order pharmacies or in person at a hospital, clinic, or physician’s office.