A similar policy went into effect Monday at the Rite Aid drugstore chain, which reduced the purchase of Plan B pills to three units per customer due to increased demand, a company spokesman said. The limit applies to both in-store and online purchases. Emergency contraception is different from birth control pills used to terminate pregnancies. Plan B, which can be taken without a prescription, contains a concentrated dose of the same medicine found in many regular birth control pills. If a woman takes Plan B within 72 hours of unprotected sex, it can significantly reduce the risk of pregnancy. Emergency contraception has been attacked by some abortion enemies who believe that life begins when an egg is fertilized. The federally approved label says it can prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus. But researchers at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said it was unlikely to have that effect. A large Missouri hospital chain has temporarily stopped providing Plan B due to confusion over whether a state abortion ban could put doctors at risk of being prosecuted for providing it. However, St. Luke’s Health Kansas City said Wednesday it would continue to offer the drug. Retailing marketers is a common practice that helps retailers prevent stockpiling and resale at higher prices. “Retailers are careful. They are trying to manage it, “said Neil Saunders, CEO of GlobalData Retail. “But I do not think there are chronic shortages.” “Many of our products have e-shopping limits,” said a Walmart spokesman. “In times of fluctuating demand, these limits may change.” CVS Health, meanwhile, said it had removed its own caps on emergency contraceptives after setting up a temporary limit following Friday’s Supreme Court ruling. The company said it sought to maintain access to the products following a “sharp increase” in sales, which have since returned to normal. “We continue to have an abundant supply of emergency contraception to meet the needs of our clients,” said CVS Health spokesman Matthew Blanchett. The Walgreens pharmacy chain is still able to meet the demand for in-store purchases and over-the-counter emergency contraceptive pills. However, spokeswoman Emily Mekstan said the company was renewing its operations from ship to house, which saw a jump in demand. CVS Health and Walgreens are the two largest pharmacy chains in the US. They combine about 19,000 sites. Representatives of Target and Kroger said they had nothing to share about possible limits on contraceptive purchases.
AP staff writers Anne D’Innocenzio in New York and Tom Murphy in Indianapolis contributed to this report.
