Walgreens to dispense abortion pill at some stores in California
Walgreens will start dispensing the abortion pill mifepristone at some of its stores in California and four other states next week — marking a significant expansion of access to the medication that’s currently only available by mail, at abortion clinics and at a very small number of brick-and-mortar pharmacies.
Walgreens confirmed Friday it will make the change at “select locations” in California, New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Illinois, but did not specify how many locations or which ones. CVS on Friday also confirmed it will begin offering mifepristone in some stores in Massachusetts and Rhode Island “in the weeks ahead” and will expand the practice to additional states on a rolling basis, but did not say whether California will be among them.
Mifepristone is used in more than half of abortions in the United States.
“This is an excellent move for patient care,” said Ushma Upadhyay, a UCSF reproductive health researcher. “The evidence shows once people decide they want an abortion, they want it as soon as possible. … Many would prefer to get the medication the same day they get their prescription, like any other prescription you go to the pharmacy to pick up ASAP. This change will finally make that available in a more widespread way.”
The reason why few brickand-mortar pharmacies dispense mifepristone is because the requirements to do so, set forth by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in early 2023, are onerous and complex, Upadhyay said. It’s harder for large pharmacy chains to comply with them, which is why it’s often smaller, more agile pharmacies that do it.
The regulations require pharmacies to check the certification of each provider that prescribes the medication. But pharmacies are not allowed to maintain central databases that store the names of the providers, in part because of privacy concerns.
The way most people access mifepristone currently is by picking it up in person at an abortion clinic, Upadhyay said. About 84% of abortions involve people who pick up mifepristone in person or get a procedural abortion. Roughly 16% of abortions involve receiving mifepristone by mail after being prescribed by a telehealth provider, according to a report released this week by WeCount, a nationwide study led by Upadhyay that tracks the effects of the Dobbs decision on abortion utilization.
Mifepristone is one of two pills used in medication abortion. The second, misoprostol, is not as strictly regulated as mifepristone, is often used to treat other conditions including ulcers, and is available at most pharmacies with a prescription.
The U.S. Supreme Court is slated to hear a case March 26 that could restrict access to mifepristone. That decision could impact people’s ability to get mifepristone, even in states like California where abortion is legal and generally more accessible than it is in other states.