Port Angeles pharmacy becomes first in Washington state approved for abortion drug mifepristone

A pharmacy in Port Angeles on the Olympic Peninsula just became the first in the state to be publicly listed as a location that will begin dispensing mifepristone — the first of two drugs used in most medication abortions.

This marks a big change for a drug most people once had to go to a doctor’s office to get.

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People seeking an abortion, or managing a miscarriage, used to have to go to the office of a certified provider — usually a doctor — to get mifepristone. In January, the FDA ended that requirement and said patients could get the pills at a regular pharmacy, as long as that pharmacy was certified.

A full list of pharmacies approved to distribute mifepristone can be found here. Jim’s Pharmacy in Port Angeles just became the first in Washington state to be publicly listed as a location that has fulfilled the requirements and can dispense the drug.

That means a doctor could call in a Mifepristone prescription to Jim's Pharmacy, and a patient could go pick it up.

Big chains like Walgreens and CVS are still in the process of becoming certified.

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Many people receive the pills for a medication abortion in the mail. But some people can’t wait for a shipment — either for medical reasons, because they don’t have a reliable address, or because they live with an abusive partner.

These pharmacy rules are just part of the ongoing legal and political fight about medication abortions. A case that seeks to overturn Mifepristone’s FDA approval entirely has been appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

10/12/23: This story has been updated. A previous version of this story stated that Jim's Pharmacy announced publicly that it would dispense Mifepristone; however, the drug manufacturer, GenBioPro, included Jim's on a public list of pharmacies that would dispense the drug. Also, the article has been updated to clarify that Mifepristone is still a prescription drug.