'US Abolishing Abortion Rights Sells Abortion Pills at Pharmacies Near Homes'

'Mifepristone' Sales Expanded from Hospitals to Pharmacies

On the 3rd (local time), U.S. health authorities announced that the sale of abortion pills at retail pharmacies will be permitted. This measure comes amid heated debates over oral abortion pills following the Supreme Court's overturning of the landmark 'Roe v. Wade' decision, which had guaranteed women's abortion rights in the U.S. Photo shows the abortion pill product 'Plan B' placed on a pharmacy shelf in Annapolis, Maryland, U.S., on July 6 last year. Photo by AFP·Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jung-wan] The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 3rd (local time) that pills used for medication abortion in early pregnancy in the United States are now available not only in hospitals but also at general pharmacies.

According to the NYT, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved regulations allowing the sale of mifepristone, one of the main ingredients in abortion pills, at retail pharmacies. This decision was made following applications from pharmaceutical companies GenBioPro and Danco Laboratories, which manufacture and distribute mifepristone.

As a result, local pharmacies and large retail pharmacy chains such as CVS and Walgreens can now dispense abortion pills containing mifepristone. Until now, the medication was only available at hospitals issuing prescriptions, and some remote prescription and mail-order pharmacies.

Going forward, the NYT explained that after receiving a doctor's prescription, patients can visit pharmacies that handle mifepristone, submit their prescription, and complete a consent form to purchase abortion pills.

The NYT analyzed that this decision comes in response to increased demand for medication abortion rather than surgical procedures following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling last June that overturned abortion rights.

Mifepristone is one of two drugs that make up oral abortion pills; it induces miscarriage by blocking the hormone action necessary to maintain pregnancy and is used up to 10 weeks of pregnancy. The FDA approved the use of mifepristone in 2000, and the Biden administration relaxed regulations in 2021 to allow prescriptions via telemedicine and delivery by mail.

The other drug, misoprostol, which is also used to treat other conditions such as stomach ulcers, is already available for purchase at pharmacies.

Meanwhile, although the FDA's recent measure has expanded access to oral abortion pills, the NYT reported that it is uncertain how many pharmacies will actually carry mifepristone going forward.

Since the Supreme Court overturned the landmark 'Roe v. Wade' decision last June, which guaranteed abortion rights for American women, debates surrounding oral abortion pills have intensified, and this situation may influence decisions on whether to sell the medication, according to analysis.