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Costco says it's not selling the abortion pill mifepristone
Costco will not be adding the abortion pill mifepristone to its pharmacies.
Confirming the news to Reuters on Thursday, Aug. 14, Costco said the company will not sell the pill due to low demand.
USA TODAY has contacted Costco for more information on the decision, but the company told Reuters that, typically, patients get the drug from their doctors.
Mifepristone is a drug that blocks a hormone needed to continue pregnancy, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
According to the FDA, mifepristone is taken with another drug called misoprostol to terminate pregnancies up to 10 weeks from the first day of the last menstrual period. The medications are taken over the course of two days.
Mifepristone first got FDA approval in September 2000 for medical termination of pregnancy through seven weeks gestation; this was extended to 10 weeks in 2016. The FDA approved a generic version of the drug in 2019, according to the agency's website.
Costco's announcement comes at a time when religious activist groups are pushing back against abortion drugs.
Arguments against abortion drug, lawsuit explained
In November 2022, a group of anti-abortion medical professionals sued the FDA in Texas federal district court, challenging its approval of the drug as well as expanded access to it.
In April 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the group and suspended the FDA's approval of mifepristone. The court later issued an order that allowed individuals to have access to mifepristone during the appeals process.
The Supreme Court then ruled in June 2024 that the religious group's case was to be dismissed because the group did not have 'the necessary legal standing to bring this challenge in federal court in the first place,' according to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
According to legal experts such as Joanne Rosen, a practice professor in Health Policy and Management at Johns Hopkins, plaintiffs must prove they have been hurt by the practices they're arguing against and that the government or agency was at fault.
'The coalition of plaintiffs were anti-abortion physicians and an anti-abortion medical association,' Rosen previously said about the case. 'None of them prescribe mifepristone or perform abortions. None of them have been required by FDA action to do so.'
According to Johns Hopkins, another group or plaintiff could file a lawsuit of their own with more concrete evidence.
Retailers targeted as part of anti-abortion campaigns
While some stores, such as Walgreens and CVS, have chosen to sell mifepristone, other retailers haven't clarified whether they'll sell it.
USA TODAY has reached out to three of those retailers — Walmart, Albertson's, and McKesson — for comment. Walmart declined to comment. Albertson's and McKesson did not immediately respond.
"Many retailers have become more cautious about taking overt political or social stances after recent controversies triggered boycotts, negative media coverage, and polarized consumer reactions," Arun Sundaram, senior analyst at the California Family Rights Act, told Reuters.
Religious groups such as Inspire Investing have credited themselves with keeping pharmacies from selling the drug.
In December 2024, Kroger and Sam's Club allegedly began selling mifepristone in their pharmacies then said the pills were listed on their pharmacy websites by mistake, according to the Wisconsin Family Council. The council called out CVS and Walgreens for still offering abortion pills at their pharmacies.
The drug has been the focal point of multiple protests as pro-choice groups demand continued access to the drug.
Have there been deaths linked to mifepristone?
According to the FDA, there have been 36 reports of deaths in patients associated with the medication since September 2000. This includes two ectopic pregnancies, which is when the fetus grows outside the womb, and multiple cases of 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,' the FDA said on its website.
Contributing: Reuters
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@
