The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will allow retail pharmacies to offer abortion pills in the United States.
The changes included permanently removing restrictions on mail order shipping of the pills and their prescription through telehealth. The agency finalized the changes on Tuesday after reviewing supplemental applications from Danco Laboratories and GenBioPro, the two companies that make the drug in the United States. "Under the Mifepristone REMS Program, as modified, Mifeprex and its approved generic can be dispensed by certified pharmacies or by or under the supervision of a certified prescriber," the agency said on its website on Tuesday.
The drug in question, mifepristone, has long been available the world over. In most of the UK, for example, it can be delivered via mail and self-administered at home to terminate pregnancies before 10 weeks. The FDA dragged its feet in the U.S. on the drug's availability to appease right-wing activists. States may attempt to ban the drug, but FDA approval pre-empts such efforts—assuming a conservative Supreme Court doesn't decide to overturn it with this single issue in mind.
