FDA to allow the sale of abortion pills by US pharmacies

By Azeez Mojeed Olusola

The US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) will, for the first time, allow retail pharmacies to offer abortion pills in the US, even as more states seek to ban medication abortion.

“Under the Mifepristone REMS Program, as modified, Mifeprex and it’s approved generic can be dispensed by certified pharmacies or under the supervision of a certified prescriber,” the agency said on its website on Tuesday, AFP reported.

Usually, a drug like mifepristone, which is part of a two-drug regimen, that is used to safely induce abortion, is obtained from a health provider. A prescription is still required, but the drug can be collected at the store or via mail order. The move would expand access to medically induced abortions significantly.

After the Supreme court overturned the federal right to get an abortion, the demand for abortion pills has increased. Biden administration has been wrestling with how best to protect abortion rights. According to the pro-choice Guttmacher Institute, over 50 per cent of US abortions are already done with pills rather than by surgery.

Pharmacies will need to apply to one of the two companies that make Mifepristone for certification to be able to distribute the pill. Danco Laboratories and GenBioPro are the two companies that make the drug in the US.