Pharmacies, retailers limit emergency contraceptive purchases and deliveries after facing surge in demand
Amazon limits sales of emergency contraceptive pills to three units per week
• Amazon limits sales of emergency contraceptive pills to three units per week
US pharmacies and retailers are limiting purchases or deliveries of emergency contraceptive pills to stop people from hoarding up after the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling that recognized women’s constitutional right to abortion.
E-commerce giant Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ: AMZN) placed a temporary purchase limit of three units per week on emergency contraceptive pills, Reuters reported.
Earlier, CVS Health Corp (NYSE: CVS) said it would temporarily cap purchases of emergency contraceptives at three packs “to ensure equitable access and consistent supply on store shelves.”
The second-largest drug store chain in the US after CVS, Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ: WBA), on its website, said the product was available for pick up in stores purchases were not limited at this time. However, it would temporarily stop delivering the contraceptives to customers’ homes.
“Walgreens is still able to meet demand in-store,” the spokesperson said in an email to the New York Times, adding, “We are working to restock online inventory for ship-to-home.”
Kroger Co’s (NYSE: KR) website said its Plan B stock in its supermarkets was low.
Retail giant Walmart Inc (NYSE: WMT), which had limited some purchases of the pills, in a statement, said, “Many of our products have online purchase limits in place. During times of fluctuating demand, these limits may change.”
Emergency contraceptive pills can be purchased over-the-counter and without an ID or prescription. They work by preventing ovulation by stopping a fertilized egg from attaching to the womb and are taken in the days after unprotected sex.
The pills are different from abortion pills, which require a prescription and involve taking two different pills within 10 weeks of pregnancy.
Picture Credit: WSJ
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