DEERFIELD, Unwell. — Walgreens on Thursday stated it received’t promote an abortion capsule by mail in 20 conservative-led states.
The assertion comes after attorneys basic in 20 states final month warned Walgreens and CVS that they might face authorized penalties in the event that they promote abortion drugs by mail in these states.
Walgreens spokesperson Fraser Engerman confirmed that the corporate despatched a response to every of the attorneys basic saying that it’s going to not dispense mifepristone of their states.
Nineteen U.S. states have imposed restrictions on abortion drugs, however there’s a courtroom battle over whether or not they have the ability to take action in defiance of U.S. Meals and Drug Administration coverage. A doctor and an organization that makes the capsule mifepristone filed separate lawsuits earlier this 12 months in search of to strike down bans in North Carolina and West Virginia.
The FDA for greater than 20 years restricted meting out of the drug to a subset of specialty workplaces and clinics due to security considerations. But it surely eased restrictions because the begin of the COVID-19 pandemic by eliminating the in-person requirement for the capsule and permitting brick-and-mortar pharmacies to dispense it. At the very least one lawsuit filed by abortion opponents argues that the FDA has overstepped its authority in approving the abortion medicine.
Engerman stated the corporate isn’t at the moment meting out mifepristone, though it’s working to turn out to be eligible by means of an FDA-mandated certification course of. That course of requires pharmacies to satisfy particular requirements in transport, monitoring and confidentially storing drug prescribing information.
He stated the corporate “will dispense solely in these jurisdictions the place it’s authorized to take action if we’re licensed.”
Walgreens’ motion was first reported by Politico.