Some independent pharmacies nationwide are dispensing the abortion pill under new Biden administration rules, with major pharmacy giants planning to join them.
GenBioPro, which manufactures the abortion pill mifepristone, published a list this week of 19 pharmacies in nine states certified to dispense the drug. And it only represents places that agreed to be named.
The locations include independent community pharmacies, university-affiliated outlets, compounders, and a mail-order pharmacy that files prescriptions in several states.
Steve Moore, the owner of Condo Pharmacy in Plattsburgh, New York, told Politico that his pharmacy was recently certified to stock mifepristone but has not had a patient request it.
"I'm sure everybody's got their opinion, but we're healthcare professionals who are here to help people get the medication they need when they need it," Moore said, adding that he has not received any backlash yet.
Danco, another pharmaceutical company that makes a mifepristone-type drug, informed the outlet that it certified many of the same pharmacies as GenBioPro and others but would not yet make them public.
Meanwhile, pharmacy giants like CVS and Walgreens, which are now allowed to apply for permission to distribute the drugs, are working towards obtaining their certifications.
The steps include securing an adequate supply of the pills, protecting patient privacy, and ensuring that only certified doctors are sending prescriptions to certified pharmacists.
The Food and Drug Administration loosened mifepristone restrictions in January, allowing the drug to be prescribed by more pharmacies and mail-order clinics, STAT reported at the time.
A number of Republican-led states are challenging the adjustment to return to the pill's limited distribution or abolish it entirely. Two months ago, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the latter argument.
However, the case is likely to be picked up by the Supreme Court and heard next year or the year after. The lower court ruling also did not issue a temporary stay on mifepristone distribution in the meantime.