Pharmacy retail giants Walgreens and CVS said Friday that they will begin selling mifepristone, a key abortion medication, a move that could expand abortion access at a moment when many states have moved to restrict it.
Marty Maloney, a spokesperson for Walgreens, said the retailer has completed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval process to dispense mifepristone. CVS said in a statement that the pharmacy has received certification to dispense mifepristone and plans to start filling prescriptions in states where it is legal to do so.
Mifepristone pill is the first of two medications used in medication abortion. The second, Misoprostol, is taken immediately or up to 48 hours later.
“We’re working with manufacturers and suppliers to secure the medication and are not yet dispensing it in any of our pharmacies,” said Amy Thibault, a CVS spokesperson. “We’ll begin filling prescriptions for the medication in Massachusetts and Rhode Island in the weeks ahead and will expand to additional states, where allowed by law, on a rolling basis.
The phased rollout by the pharmacy giants will start as early as next week, The New York Times reports. The pills will only be available with a prescription.
Walgreens spokesperson Fraser Engerman told The Times that the company plans to begin selling the pill in some of its pharmacies in states including New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, California, and Illinois.
This is a developing story and will be updated.