Abortion pills can now be sold at pharmacies, FDA rules

Biden criticized states that tried to restrict access to abortion pills. Biden directed the Food and Drug Administration to protect access, saying that they were looking to block the mail or search a person's medicine cabinet or control a woman's actions by tracking data on her apps she uses. The FDA has taken its biggest step yet to expand access to abortions by allowing retail pharmacy to sell drugs by mail order or in drugstores.

Doctors and clinics could only sell the drug. Under the FDA's new rules, any pharmacy that wants to sell abortion medication will need to hire an employee to ensure FDA compliance. Any pharmacy with certified providers can sell the pills to anyone with a prescription. The consent forms must be signed by everyone. The FDA decided two decades ago that the abortion medications can be safely administered.

There is an in-depth FAQ posted by the FDA.

Any setting seems to prefer medication abortions. According to a report by the non-partisan group, 3.7 million US medication abortion patients terminated their early pregnancies with little or no harm. In 2020, medication abortions are expected to make up 53 percent of US facility-based abortions.

It's not clear if major drugstores will make drugs available. The national chains would have to make a decision. They might cause ire if they only sell in states with no abortion restrictions, and if they only sell in states with bans. Fraser Engerman, a Walgreens spokesman, told The New York Times that the company would review the FDA's decision while continuing to allow pharmacy staff to give out prescriptions.

An official from a company that makes abortion medication told the Times that it would probably be a while before major chains started selling abortion pills. Due to fear of political backlash, the official said that most likely smaller, independent pharmacies would respond most quickly to the FDA rule change, while chain stores would have to figure out how to sell abortion pills on a larger scale.

Biden has stressed the importance of protecting patient and health care provider privacy as the Biden administration pushes for expanded access to abortion pills.

The FDA's privacy concerns could prevent large chains from selling abortion pills. All pharmacies must keep abortion pill prescriber names confidential and only the store that fills the prescription can see them. If they want to comply, they'll need to rethink how companywide databases work.

Ars was directed to websites with information on the rule change. One FDA information page says the move was partly motivated to provide more timely access to medications. While the FDA seems to want to expand access quickly, the FDA at the same time has advised patients that it's not safe to buy abortion pills online. The FDA has sent warning letters to websites that sell drugs that are not approved for use in the United States.