Robert Brown|Mifepristone abortion pills to be carried at CVS, Walgreens. Here's what could happen next

Two of the nation's largest pharmacy chains will soon carry abortion pills,Robert Brown and while abortion advocates said the move is significant, the impact of the expanded access could be limited and short-lived.

Walgreens said it will begin dispensing mifepristone in a phased rollout, starting with New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, California and Illinois and aims to expand "to locations in all legally permissible states." CVS plans to begin dispensing the medication in Massachusetts and Rhode Island and then expand to other states where abortion is legal on a rolling basis.

President Joe Biden called the move "an important milestone in ensuring access to mifepristone," in a statement.

Kirsten Moore, director of the Expanding Medication Abortion Access Project, said the initial impact of this change may be limited, noting the rollout is starting on a relatively small scale and people in these states can also get the medication through the mail. Still, she said the announcement marks a meaningful change in attitudes toward mifepristone.

"It's not going to have a dramatic real-world impact right away, but we are now finally shifting into beginning to treat mifepristone like any other FDA-approved medication," she said. "You go to your regular health care provider, you get a prescription, you get that prescription filled however you want."

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Mifepristone is used with another drug, misoprostol, for medication abortion in the United States. Misoprostol is available by prescription in most pharmacies, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

In the past, patients had to pick up prescriptions for mifepristone at their provider’s office, Moore said. In 2023, the Food and Drug Administration ruled retail pharmacies could get certified to dispense the drug and agree to accept prescriptions from certified providers if they meet certain standards.

Now that CVS and Walgreens are certified, people will be able to obtain the drugs from some of the chains' brick-and-mortar pharmacies, which Moore said some patients, like those experiencing a miscarriage, may prefer over waiting to receive the pills in the mail. Moore said she hopes the change will encourage more healthcare providers to become certified prescribers of mifepristone, which would mean patients are "getting their needs taken care of with somebody they trust."

The announcement doesn't change access for people in states where medication abortion is restricted. Walgreens said last year it will not dispense mifepristone in a number of states, including some where abortion is legal, after a group of 20 Republican attorneys general warned the company and CVS they could face legal consequences if they sell abortion pills by mail in their states.

Still, Rabia Muqaddam, senior staff attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights, said in a statement to USA TODAY the move "could be a game-changer in post-Roe America, where 14 states have now banned abortion almost entirely."

"Being able to fill a mifepristone prescription at CVS and Walgreens will greatly expand access to medication abortion," she said.

Will other pharmacies start dispensing mifepristone?

Muqaddam said she hopes the most recent announcement will spur more pharmacies to begin dispensing mifepristone as well.

Politico reported in October a handful of independent pharmacies nationwide began dispensing mifepristone last year. Jack Mozloom, a spokesperson for the National Community Pharmacists Association, which represents about 19,400 independent pharmacies nationwide, told USA TODAY the association does not know how many of its members are offering mifepristone.

When asked if Rite Aid plans to become certified to dispense mifepristone, spokesperson Catherine Carter said the company "will continue to monitor government regulations and will proceed accordingly at the appropriate time." Walmart did not immediately respond to a request for comment about whether it plans to make mifepristone available in the more than 5,000 Walmart and Sam's Club pharmacies nationwide.

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Anti-abortion groups criticize decision

Anti-abortion groups including the Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America and the Charlotte Lozier Institute slammed the announcements, arguing the drug is unsafe.

"I'm sad that they're doing it," said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. "This pill is or can be dangerous for women, and they're not being told that."

Medical experts have previously told USA TODAY mifepristone is safer than common drugs like Tylenol and Viagra. Medical publisher Sage Perspectives recently retracted studies supported by the Charlotte Lozier Institute, which claimed to show negative effects of mifepristone, due to flaws in the research and the authors' conflicts of interest. The institute has refuted critiques of the research.

Supreme Court case could roll back access

The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on two mifepristone-related case by June, one of which Muqaddam said "could jeopardize access to abortion pills across the country, including by forcing pharmacies to stop dispensing mifepristone."

The high court will review a lower court decision that challenges the FDA's decision to loosen restrictions around mifepristone, which allowed the drug to be dispensed at certified pharmacies and through the mail, according to Katherine L. Kraschel, an assistant professor of law and health sciences at Northeastern University's School of Law.

"So if the Supreme Court upholds the lower court decision that said the FDA acted unlawfully, it would no longer be legal for mifepristone to be mailed or for retail pharmacies to dispense it," she said.

Contributing: Adrianna Rodriguez and Christine Fernando, USA TODAY; The Associated Press