(Reuters) -Costco Wholesale has decided not to dispense the abortion pill mifepristone at its more than 500 pharmacy locations, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday.
According to the report, a group of faith-based activists had urged the retailer to avoid selling the drug. Bloomberg News, which cited a statement from the company, reported that Costco has not seen consumer demand for the pill, and had no comment on whether the conservative group had any role in its decision.
Danco Laboratories, which manufactures the abortion pill regimen, and Costco did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
Mifepristone, together with another medicine called misoprostol, is used to end a pregnancy within 10 weeks of gestation. It won the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval in 2000.
The pill blocks the hormone progesterone, which helps a woman’s body maintain the lining of the uterus during pregnancy. The second medication, misoprostol, is then taken to complete the process.
Major retailers and pharmacy chains, including Walmart, Albertsons Companies, Walgreens and CVS Health, also did not immediately respond to the requests for comment.
(Reporting by Neil J Kanatt and Sriparna Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)
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