Washington, D.C.<\/i>
\n\u2013 U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced they have joined
\ncolleagues in urging seven of the nation\u2019s largest retail pharmacies to
\nprovide the strongest possible legal access to mifepristone for patients\u2014and
\ncommunicate clearly about their plans and policies.<\/p>\n
In the letters sent this week to Walgreens, CVS Health, Rite
\nAid, Albertsons, Costco, Kroger, and Walmart, the senators request more
\ninformation about the companies\u2019 plans to provide customers access to
\nmifepristone and underscore the importance of ensuring patients are able to get
\nthe safe and effective FDA-approved drug.<\/p>\n
The letters come after the Food and Drug Administration Following that announcement, Walgreens, CVS Health, and Rite In their letter to Walgreens, the senators called out the The senators demanded clarifying information about \u201cWe ask that as you The letter was led by U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Read their letter<\/a> In letters to Albertstons, Costco, Kroger and Walmart, the senators \u201cWe write with great The letter was led by Senators Murray and Stabenow. In Read their letters to Albertstons<\/a>, In letters to CVS Health and Rite Aid, the senators \u201cAs you continue The letter was led by Senators Murray and Stabenow. In Senators Baldwin, Klobuchar, Cantwell, Schatz, Padilla, Read their letters to CVS In the aftermath of the Dobbs<\/i> decision, access to Washington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced they have joined colleagues in urging seven of the nation\u2019s largest retail pharmacies to provide the strongest possible legal access to mifepristone for patients\u2014and communicate clearly about their plans and policies. In the letters sent this week to Walgreens, CVS Health, Rite Aid, Albertsons, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[125],"class_list":["post-1687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press-releases","tag-accessible-health-care-for-all"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\n(FDA) announced<\/a>
\nin early January it was removing burdensome requirements and allowing retail
\npharmacies to dispense mifepristone directly to customers for the first time
\never.<\/p>\n
\nAid said they are pursuing certification to dispense mifepristone where legally
\nable. Albertsons, Costco, Kroger, and Walmart have not announced plans to do
\nso. But after more than 20 Republican Attorneys General sent threatening<\/a>
\nletters<\/a>
\nto the companies, Walgreens caused widespread confusion about its plans by
\nappearing to cave to the threats, telling the Republican Attorneys General the
\ncompany would not dispense mifepristone in their states and so far failing to
\nprovide greater clarity about its plans to provide customers access to the safe
\nand effective FDA-approved medication.<\/p>\n\n
\ncompany\u2019s confusing announcement about its plans to dispense mifepristone to
\ncustomers, writing: \u201cAt a time of great
\nconfusion about abortion access, your company has done the disservice of adding
\nto it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\nWalgreens\u2019 plans to dispense mifepristone, and stated: \u201cWhile we are well aware of threatening letters you received with regard
\nto the distribution of mifepristone in certain states, the response to those
\npressures was unacceptable and appeared to yield to these threats\u2014ignoring the
\ncritical need to ensure patients can get this essential health care wherever
\npossible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
\ncontinue with the FDA certification process and fully comply with applicable
\nstate and federal law, it is critical that your company also provided the
\nstrongest possible access to this vital medication and communicate clearly
\nabout this,\u201d the Senators added.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\nDebbie Stabenow (D-MI). In addition to Wyden and Merkley, other senators
\nsigning the letter are Senators Baldwin, Klobuchar, Cantwell, Schatz, Padilla,
\nBlumenthal, Sanders, Cortez Masto, Reed, Whitehouse, Welch, Smith, and
\nDuckworth.<\/p>\n
\nto Walgreens.<\/p>\n
\nexpressed frustration that the companies have not yet announced their intention
\nto dispense mifepristone at their pharmacies\u2014and urged the companies to pursue
\npolicies to provide the strongest possible access to their customers.<\/p>\n\n
\nfrustration that [your company] has not indicated whether it plans to allow
\nyour customers to access mifepristone through your pharmacies,\u201d the
\nsenators wrote. \u201cPharmacists are one of
\nthe most trusted health care providers, and your customers rely on [your
\ncompany] to help them access their prescribed medications. We look forward to
\nhearing back from you about your intentions to ensure access to this critical
\nFDA-approved product.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\naddition to Wyden and Merkley, other senators signing the letter are Senators
\nBaldwin, Klobuchar, Cantwell, Schatz, Padilla, Blumenthal, Sanders, Booker,
\nReed, Whitehouse, Welch, Smith, and Duckworth.<\/p>\n
\nCostco<\/a>,
\nKroger<\/a>
\nand Walmart<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\napplauded the companies\u2019 plan to seek certification to dispense mifepristone
\nwhere able and urged them to ensure they provide the strongest possible legal
\naccess to the drug and communicate clearly about their plans to prevent
\nconfusion for customers.<\/p>\n\n
\nwith the FDA certification process and fully comply with state and federal law,
\nit is critical that your company also provide the strongest possible access to
\nthis vital medication and communicate clearly about this,\u201d the Senators
\nwrote to CVS Health and Rite Aid.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\naddition to Wyden and Merkley, other senators signing the letter are<\/p>\n
\nBlumenthal, Sanders, Cortez Masto, Booker, Reed, Whitehouse, Welch, and Smith.<\/p>\n
\nHealth<\/a> and Rite
\nAid<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\nmedication abortion is more vital for patients than ever. Across the U.S.,
\nmedication abortion is the most
\ncommon way<\/a> women get abortion care, and mifepristone is one of two drugs
\nused in most medication abortion care. Approved by the FDA more than 20 years
\nago, mifepristone\u2019s safety and efficacy has been affirmed time and again by
\nscientific evidence, research, and clinical experience\u2014in fact, it\u2019s safer
\nthan Tylenol<\/a>. But anti-choice activists and Republican elected officials
\nhave repeatedly sought to deny patients across the country access to the
\nFDA-approved drug. In addition to threatening pharmacies seeking to dispense
\nthe drug legally, anti-choice activists have filed
\nan unprecedented lawsuit<\/a> to try to effectively ban the drug nationwide and
\nhave enacted<\/a>
\nbans and medically-unnecessary restrictions on mifepristone in a number of
\nstates. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"