By Nathalie Voit
Major American companies like Amazon, Rite Aid, and Walmart are placing purchase limits on emergency contraceptives in the wake of last week’s controversial Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade.
Big-name pharmacy chains like Rite Aid said on June 28 that they are limiting sales of Plan B contraceptive pills to three per customer amid surging demand, according to a statement by Rite Aid spokesperson Terri Hickey to Axios.
CVS recently ended its three-per-order purchase limit on Plan B pills, noting that sales of emergency contraceptives have dipped back to normal. The decision to cap how many ‘morning-after’ pills customers can purchase was placed on Saturday following Friday’s far-reaching decision to ensure “equitable access and consistent supply,” the drugstore chain said in a statement to CNN.
Meanwhile, Walmart noted its products automatically have online purchase limits in place. “During times of fluctuating demand, these limits may change,” the big-box retailer told Axios.
E-commerce giant Amazon also restricted how many Plan B pills shoppers can buy. Amazon told Axios it has a temporary limit of three units per week on emergency contraceptives due to soaring demand.
Plan B One-Step is currently retailing for $46.87 on Amazon. When attempting to checkout, the product is capped at three per customer. However, emergency contraceptives My Way and My Choice do not appear to have a purchase limit.
Not all major drugstore chains are limiting sales of emergency contraceptives. Walgreens spokesperson Emily Hartwig-Mekstan told Axios that while Plan B temporarily sold out for shipping on Tuesday, the pills were available once again Wednesday morning.
“Walgreens is still able to meet demand in-store, including leveraging digital-first solutions like curbside pickup,” Hartwig-Mekstan said. “At this time, we are working to restock online inventory for ship-to-home.”
Plan B retails for $50 at Walgreens and its generic counterpart, Take Action, for $40.
