The US FDA grants pharmacies permission to sell abortion pills

Under a new rule put in place by the Biden administration, retail pharmacies in the United States can now sell mifepristone, a pill that can help women get an abortion.

Currently, patients obtain mifepristone, which is part of a two-drug abortion inducing regimen that is safe and effective, in person from a healthcare provider. Under the new rule, a prescription is still required, but patients can now pick up their pills in-store or via mail order. The action could significantly expand access to medication-assisted abortions.

Since the Supreme Court’s decision last year to overturn the federal right to abortion, there has been a rise in demand for abortion pills in states that have either banned abortion or made it very hard to get one. According to the pro-choice Guttmacher Institute, more than half of the abortions in the United States are performed with pills rather than surgery. As part of its move towards telemedicine, which is being driven by pandemics, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in December 2021 that patients would no longer have to get prescriptions from a doctor in person.

On Tuesday, the FDA updated its website with the new rules. It says that the drug “may be given out by certified pharmacies or by certified prescribers or under their supervision.”