CVS and Walgreens, the two largest pharmacy chains in the U.S., will start selling abortion pills as soon as this month, the companies said Friday.
Access to the drug mifepristone, commonly known as the abortion pill, will require a prescription. The Food and Drug Administration approved mifepristone for abortions in 2000, deeming it a safe and effective way to terminate an unwanted pregnancy.
Both CVS and Walgreens told CBS News they have become certified to dispense the pills following regulatory changes the FDA made last year that allow retail pharmacies to sell the pills.
The pharmacies’ moves, which come at a time when abortion access has been restricted across parts of the U.S., drew praise from President Biden.
“The stakes could not be higher for women across America,” Biden said in a statement Friday. “I encourage all pharmacies that want to pursue this option to seek certification,” he added.
Women are increasingly turning to the abortion pill, rather than surgery, to end unwanted pregnancies. In 2020, medication abortions accounted for more than half of all abortions in the U.S. That’s caused anti-abortion rights advocates to sue the FDA over the drug’s approval, as well as to stage protests outside of pharmacies after CVS and Walgreens said last year that they planned to make the medication available to patients.
Abortion access was curtailed in many states, particularly in the South, after the Supreme Court in 2022 struck down the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.
Where abortion pills will be available
The pills will only be available at physical pharmacy locations, and not by mail.
“Walgreens has completed the FDA certification process to dispense mifepristone and expects to begin dispensing within a week, consistent with federal and state laws,” the company said in a Friday statement to CBS News. “We are beginning a phased rollout in select locations to allow us to ensure quality, safety, and privacy for our patients, providers, and team members.”
CVS said it will begin dispensing the pills at pharmacies in Massachusetts and Rhode Island in the coming weeks, according to a statement sent to CBS News.
“We’ve received certification to dispense mifepristone at CVS Pharmacy and plan to fill prescriptions for this medication in states where legally permissible,” CVS said. The pharmacy chain added it “will expand to additional states, where allowed by law, on a rolling basis.”
The pills’ availability at retail pharmacies will make it easier for some patients to access abortion care, but faces looming legal challenges. The Supreme Court will take up the issue in March.
“The announcement by CVS and Walgreens offers the hope of expanded access to reproductive health care for patients in states that permit abortion. However, later this month, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in a review of a decision by the Fifth Circuit that would dramatically restrict access to mifepristone,” Wendy Parmet, professor of law and co-director of Northeastern’s Center for Health Policy and Law told CBS MoneyWatch. “If the Supreme Court upholds the lower court’s order, the expanded access promised by today’s order will be short-lived.”
