Abortion Pills To Be Sold At Retail Pharmacies In US— Know What This Means For Women

The US Food and Drug Administration has authorised pharmacies to sell abortion pills by prescription for the first time amid more states seeking to ban medical termination of pregnancy.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorised pharmacies to sell abortion pills by prescription for the first time. The move comes amid more states seeking to ban medical termination of pregnancy.

Earlier, the FDA proposed making the changes in December 2021 when it announced it would relax risk evaluation and mitigation strategies, or REMS, on the pill, which had been in place since the agency approved it in 2000 and were lifted temporarily by the government in 2021 due to the pandemic, reported news agency Reuters.

Here’s what the change means for women after several states banned abortion last year

Was the medication sold before?

For a medication-induced abortion referred to as medical abortion, two different drugs over a period of one or two days need to be consumed. The first (mifepristone) blocks the pregnancy, and the second (misoprostol) causes bleeding to empty the uterus, according to the news agency AFP report.

However, one of the biggest issues is connected to mifepristone which has been authorized and closely regulated by the FDA since 2000. Mifepristone was approved for use through the 10th week of pregnancy. Interestingly, just before the Covid pandemic, the medication could be given only in person and in specific locales, especially abortion clinics.

However, due to a lawsuit at the time of the pandemic, the FDA agreed to temporarily allow the drug to be distributed by mail post consultation in person or remotely with a doctor, the report added. Later in December 2021, the FDA announced that it will do away with the requirement for in-person delivery of mifepristone.

The agency directed the two pharmaceutical companies Danco Laboratories selling it as Mifeprex and generic manufacturer GenBioPro to set up a system that will allow wider distribution. And this is what got approved this week.

How does the new system work?

Pharmacies looking to sell mifepristone first need to sign and sent a form to Danco and GenBioPro with a guarantee that they will be able to dispense the pills to patients within a maximum of four days (if the drug is not stocked on-site). The pharmacy also needs to specify that the prescription comes from a certified medical professional (a doctor or, depending on the state, a nurse).

In fact, to provide certification, caregivers must fill out a form assuring that they have a relationship with a hospital or clinic that can provide urgent care if needed. They must also obtain a signed consent form from their patients.

It is a "very decentralized system," director of the Expanding Medication Abortion Access Project Kirsten Moore told the agency. The FDA "doesn't get involved in the day-to-day management at all."

How soon will pharmacies start selling the medication? 

It is still not clear how much time it will take for pharmacies to sell. "I would say that in the coming weeks and months, we'll be able to see some more providers" taking part in the program, Jenny Ma, senior counsel with the Center for Reproductive Rights, told AFP. Two of the biggest US pharmacy chains including Walgreens and CVS confirmed that they want to participate in the states where it is possible.

Impact in states where abortion is legal

In those states where abortion is legal, the new measure offers a third option for obtaining the pills after abortion clinics and the mail. This would allow women to abort sooner without waiting for pills to arrive or having to travel to a clinic that may be far away.

"That's going to help tremendously people who live in rural communities," Ma said, particularly those "who might not be able to afford the travel costs." Ma added, "it destigmatizes abortion care; it makes it more similar to any other comparable drug."

States where abortion is illegal

A landmark ruling by the US Supreme Court last year overturned the nationwide right to abortion allowing each state to follow its own laws governing the procedure.

A dozen states went ahead to make abortion almost entirely illegal. In those states, abortion pills remain illegal -- the FDA ruling changes nothing. "What it will do is make the disparity (between states) even more stark," Ma said.

But women who decide to travel to a state where abortion is legal may now find a pharmacy much closer than an abortion clinic, thereby reducing, and simplifying, their travel.