Leading Drugstore Chains to Provide Abortion Pill Services in Select States.
CVS Health and Walgreens, two of the largest drugstore chains in the United States, have announced plans to dispense abortion pills in select states within the coming weeks, as reported by the New York Times.
According to CVS Health spokeswoman Amy Thibault, the company will begin filling prescriptions for mifepristone in Rhode Island and neighboring Massachusetts in the near future. Similarly, Walgreens will start dispensing the medication in some locations across New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, California, and Illinois within a week, as confirmed by spokesman Fraser Engerman.
Engerman emphasized that Walgreens will launch the service in “select locations” to ensure quality, safety, and privacy for patients, providers, and team members. Thibault added that CVS Health plans to expand to other states on a rolling basis where allowed by law.
The initiatives by CVS and Walgreens represent a significant step forward in expanding access to mifepristone, noted President Joe Biden in a statement. He praised the move, highlighting that it would enable many women to conveniently pick up their prescriptions at local certified pharmacies, similar to any other medication.
The decision follows over a year after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finalized a rule change aimed at broadening the availability of abortion pills to include a wider range of pharmacies, including large chains and mail-order companies.
