NYC Comptroller sends warnings to pharmacy chains who don’t yet dispense the abortion pill

Pharmacy giants Walmart, Costco, Kroger, Albertsons, and McKesson have all received letters from New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, urging them to “[p]rovide abortion medication or risk losing investor confidence” and to “start dispensing mifepristone without delay.”

A press release published to the Comptroller’s office website dated July 17, 2024, threatened that if these pharmacy chains delayed getting into the business of dispensing abortion pills, they could risk losing investments “if they do not provide timely and accessible reproductive healthcare. New York City’s pension systems own over $1.32 billion in total shares of the companies,” the release read.

The NYC comptroller’s request comes after Democratic lawmakers called on the retail companies to begin dispensing the drug. In January 2023, the FDA announced its decision to roll back REMS safety regulations and allow retail pharmacies to dispense the abortion drug mifepristone (Mifeprex) after completing a certification process.

Letters to Pharmacy Giants from Lander

Lander’s letters urged CEOs at the various chains to “immediately take the necessary steps to receive certification to dispense the medication mifepristone in states where it is legal.”

“Following pharmacy industry leaders, and competitors, CVS and Walgreens, [these various pharmacy giants have] the opportunity to provide access to abortion medication through its pharmacies. Making mifepristone available benefits customers and employees and increases sales, while also generating long-term shareholder value,” the letters stated.

Lander claimed that “failure to publicly commit” to “becoming a certified mifepristone dispenser” would raise “significant investor concerns.”

“These concerns include the company’s responsiveness to a growing market opportunity, its mitigation of potential reputational risks, and its commitment to maximizing sales and long-term shareholder value,” Lander wrote.

“According to Global Markets Insight Inc., the market for abortion drugs was valued at over $24.4 billion in 2023 and is estimated to grow at 8.2% annually through 2032,” the New York Office Comptroller pointed out.

“It is incumbent on the Board and management to promptly act” and to “quickly becomes certified” and start “dispensing mifepristone without delay,” the letters said. “This action aligns with both long-term shareholder interests and women’s health care needs.”

Brad Lander and wife heavily connected to Planned Parenthood

Brad Lander is a former New York City Council member who calls abortion a “human right.” He has publicly praised and supported Planned Parenthood in New York. Planned Parenthood has endorsed Lander in his campaigns, and he in turn has asked his supporters to donate to the abortion organization, calling himself a “member of the Planned Parenthood family.”

“Prior to being elected Comptroller in 2021, Lander spent 12 years in the City Council, where he co-founded the Council’s Progressive Caucus and won transformative changes to expand workers’ rights, secure tenant protections, create affordable housing, integrate and strengthen the district’s public schools, and make streets safer,” the Comptroller’s website stated.

Lander’s wife, Meg Barnett Lander was previously employed by the corporation for nine years, serving in roles ranging from Vice President of Strategic Initiatives to Chief Strategy Officer and General Counsel, an online bio stated. In a statement posted to Twitter/X, Lander expressed pride about his wife’s employment with Planned Parenthood, writing, “So proud of Meg, of course (as I always am: In addition to being an amazing mom & unreasonably supportive partner, she’s also General Counsel at Planned Parenthood of Greater NY).”

As a Council Member, Lander joined Planned Parenthood of New York City in 2016 to celebrate the “opening of the first clinic by Margaret Sanger in 1916 in Brownsville, Brooklyn.” His statement (published to a now-archived page from Planned Parenthood’s website) read in part, “I congratulate them on a century of courage and conviction in fighting for more informed and safer reproductive health, and look forward to another century of progress.”

Margaret Sanger, of course, was the “white supremacist” founder of Planned Parenthood.

For nearly a century, the organization failed to remove Sanger from a place of honor until July 2020, when hundreds of past and current Planned Parenthood of Greater New York employees published an open letter which alleged the abortion organization was “founded by a racist, white woman” and had a “present steeped in white supremacy.” Planned Parenthood New York City (PPNYC) previously boasted about and fundraised off of Sanger’s name through the Margaret Sanger Legacy Society.

Abortion Pill Distribution Regulation 

The abortion pill was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2000 as mifepristone (Mifeprex) and is administered in a 200-milligram dosage. It is manufactured by Danco Laboratories; the generic version is manufactured by GenBioPro.

Under a safety system called REMS, the deadly drug was only permitted to be dispensed by a certified prescriber (doctor or clinician). But in April of 2021, under the guise of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Biden administration FDA expanded the REMS and temporarily enabled the limited mail-order pharmacy distribution of mifepristone (the abortion pill).

In December 2021, the Biden FDA further weakened the REMS by eliminating the in-person dispensing requirement and enabling the abortion pill to be permanently shipped by mail.

Then, in January 2023, the Biden FDA announced it would also allow retail pharmacies to dispense the drug.

The FDA’s Pharmacy Agreement for the abortion pill states, “Pharmacies must designate an authorized representative to carry out the certification process and oversee implementation and compliance with the Mifepristone REMS Program on behalf of the pharmacy. Healthcare settings, such as medical offices, clinics, and hospitals, where mifepristone will be dispensed by or under the supervision of a certified prescriber in the Mifepristone REMS Program do not require pharmacy certification.”

The pharmacy is required to, among other things:

• Report any patient deaths to the prescriber… and remind the prescriber of their obligation to report the deaths to Danco Laboratories, LLC.

• Not distribute, transfer, loan, or sell mifepristone except to certified prescribers or other locations of the pharmacy.

• Maintain records of Prescriber Agreement Forms, dispensing and shipping, and all processes and procedures including compliance with those processes and procedures.

• Maintain the identity of Mifeprex patients and prescribers as confidential and protected from disclosure except to the extent necessary for dispensing under this REMS or as necessary for payment and/or insurance.

• Train all relevant staff on the mifepristone REMS program requirements.

• Comply with audits carried out by the mifepristone sponsors or a third party acting on behalf of the mifepristone sponsors to ensure that all processes and procedures are in place and are being followed.

Live Action News previously reported pharmacists’ lack of understanding about the abortion pill and its risks, revealing that some pharmacists may not be sufficiently knowledgeable to properly advise women of the potential risks associated with abortion-inducing drugs; they also may lack understanding regarding the reporting of child sexual abuse.

Which Pharmacies Are Certified?

Pharmacy giants Walgreens and CVS announced that they had finalized the pharmacy dispensing certification process this past spring.

In March 2024, the CVS Health website claimed the drug store chain had “begun filling prescriptions for mifepristone in select states where legally permissible.” At the same time, Walgreens stated it was beginning a “phased rollout in select locations” of the drug. In June 2024, Walgreens updated its website to note that it is now dispensing the abortion pill in “select locations in more than 20 states consistent with federal and state laws.”

Walgreens has now been certified with Danco Laboratories which oversees U.S. manufacturing of mifepristone, while CVS has been certified with the generic manufacturer, GenBioPro.

Additional “certified pharmacies” who agreed to be publicly named have been published on GenBioPro’s website. As of the writing of this article, they include:

• Fairmont Pharmacy (AZ)

• AllCare Pharmacy (CA)

• Auburn Pharmacy and Compounding (CA)

• CureStat Rx (CA)

• Haller’s Pharmacy and Medical Supply (CA)

• Pucci’s Pharmacy (CA)

• SMP Pharmacy Northridge (CA)

• St. Mary’s Pharmacy (CA)

• USC Medical Plaza Pharmacy (CA)

• Wellspring Pharmacy (CA)

• SMP Pharmacy Mid-Atlantic (MD)

• UMMC Pharmacy at Redwood (MD)

• A1C Pharmacy (NV)

• Renown Pharmacy (NV)

• Renown Pharmacy (NV)

• Renown Pharmacy (NV)

Danco has also published a list as well, but claims that “Not all certified pharmacies dispensing MIFEPREX have elected to be listed here”:

• CVS Pharmacy is currently dispensing in the following states: CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, HI, IL, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, NH, NJ, NV, NM, NY, OR, PA, RI, VA, VT, WA

• Denver Health Discharge Pharmacy (Denver, CO)

• Pavilion Pharmacy UC Davis (Sacramento, CA)

• Pucci’s Pharmacy (Sacramento, CA)

• Schraft’s (Cedar Knolls, NJ)

• Southwest Health Systems Pharmacy (Cortez, CO)

• T&T Pharmacy (Los Angeles, CA)

• Walgreens (Multiple States)

Abortion Pill Now Comprises Two-Thirds of Reported Abortions 

In March 2024, the Guttmacher Institute estimated that the abortion pill accounted for 63% of abortions in 2023 — a 45% increase from 2017. That data equated to 642,700 chemical (abortion pill) abortions in 2023. This translates to an abortion pill count of 53,558 monthly, 1,761 daily, 73 hourly, and one every 49 seconds.

The latest published data from the FDA revealed that from 2000 through the end of December 2022, “approximately 5.9 million women” used the abortion pill mifepristone in the U.S. for “medical termination of pregnancy.” In addition to these chemical abortion deaths, the FDA reports 32 deaths* “associated with mifepristone” since its approval in 2000.

*The FDA has received reports of serious adverse events in patients who took mifepristone. As of December 31, 2022, there were 32 reports of deaths in patients associated with mifepristone since the product was approved in September 2000, including two cases of ectopic pregnancy (a pregnancy located outside the womb, such as in the fallopian tubes) resulting in death; and several fatal cases of severe systemic infection (also called sepsis). The adverse events cannot with certainty be causally attributed to mifepristone because of concurrent use of other drugs, other medical or surgical treatments, co-existing medical conditions, and information gaps about patient health status and clinical management of the patient. A summary report of adverse events that reflects data through December 31, 2022, is here. The FDA has reviewed this information and did not identify any new safety signals. The FDA intends to update this summary report as appropriate.

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