(Washington Insider Magazine) – The FDA mentioned that the abortion medication mifepristone is safe enough that local pharmacies can provide it as long as it is prescribed by a certified health care provider.
New Regulation on Mifepristone Abortion Pills
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a new regulation on mifepristone abortion pills on Tuesday that would allow pharmacy chains, such as CVS or Walgreens, to sell it in their stores.
If the pharmacies come together, the FDA’s decision could expand access to the drug in states where it is already legal.
Under the new guidelines, these chains could offer the drug if it has been prescribed by a doctor and they meet certain requirements. Until now, only certified doctors or clinics could dispense it.
The decision could expand access to abortion medication in states where it is already legal, but in other territories access to the pills has been restricted as a result of the Supreme Court decision last June, which removed the constitutional protection of abortion.
In a statement, Evan Masingill, chief executive of GenBioPro, which makes the generic version of the abortion pill, called the FDA’s action “a step in the right direction” to increase access and “minimize the burden” on the system. of health.
“Despite expert judgment from the FDA, some states have restricted access to medical abortion care, so unfortunately today’s announcement will not provide equal access for everyone,” Masingill said. “GenBioPro looks forward to working with prescribers and pharmacies to increase access to medical abortion care for all people.”
Mifepristone, also sold under the brand name Mifeprex, is FDA-approved to terminate a pregnancy up to 10 weeks. The single tablet works by blocking the hormone progesterone and is usually combined with a second drug, misoprostol, which causes cramps to empty the uterus. However, only mifepristone is subject to a special regulatory framework used by the FDA to minimize the risks of certain drugs.
Approximately half of the abortions now depend on medication, while the rest are surgical.
Since 2021, the FDA has said that mifepristone is safe enough for certified providers to prescribe it via telehealth and mail the drug directly to the patient. However, the FDA did not have a plan to give pharmacies the green light to provide the drug until this week, restricting distribution access primarily to abortion clinics that could keep the drug in stock.
This article is authored by Armando Hernández.