The market for online abortion pills has exploded over the last two months, according to the Wall Street Journal, coinciding with the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade on June 24 (by a 5-4 decision).
However, according to The Wall Street Journal, that same marketplace includes a number of "murky" websites that are based in other countries, charging exorbitant prices for non-approved products, or providing limited information to consumers about company practices.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved only two medications — mifepristone and misoprostol — that are typically used in medication-abortion regimens covering up to 10 weeks of pregnancy.
For everything else, the Journal reports, online consumers run the risk of purchasing products that fall short of meeting federal standards; and FDA officials have already lodged complaints about these tactics.
Among the reported concerns:
- The FDA alleges websites have begun selling abortion pills that either weren't reviewed by the agency, or prescribed by a medical doctor. Customers who purchase abortion pills online without a prescription — particularly those living in states that outlaw the procedure — could face criminal charges, if caught.
- Websites aren't divulging information about company standards, the manufacturing process, or its third-party sources for purchasing abortion pills.
- Some websites are registered overseas, and as a result, don't adhere to the standards of U.S.-based telehealth operators. (The regulated companies in America are allowed to prescribe and ship abortion bills to patients living in states that still allow the procedure.)
- Some websites are charging as much as $500 for a single, non-prescribed pack of abortion pills.
- Some websites are marketing and selling "bogus" drugs that are not equipped to handle abortions in pill form.
"You don't know what you're getting," Al Carter, executive director of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP), recently told the Journal.
An FDA spokesperson added, "Drugs that have circumvented regulatory safeguards may be contaminated, counterfeit, contain varying amounts of active ingredients, or contain different ingredients altogether."
According to the Journal, as a counter to the FDA complaints, abortion-rights advocates say unregulated online companies for abortion pills are essential — especially for those who don't have imminent access to a clinic, or live in states where telehealth consultations for abortions are prohibited.
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