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CVS Pharmacy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

CVS pharmacy Inc.
FormerlyConsumer Value Stores (1963–69)
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryRetail
FoundedMay 8, 1963;61 years ago(1963-05-08)
Lowell, Massachusetts,U.S.
Founders
Headquarters1 CVS Drive,
Woonsocket, Rhode Island
,
U.S.
Number of locations
9,967[1](2018)
Area served
United States(incl.Puerto Rico)
Key people
Revenue
  • IncreaseUS$169,236 million(2022)
  • US$153,022 million(2021)
  • US$141,938 million(2020)
[2]
  • IncreaseUS$7,356 million(2022)
  • US$6,859 million(2021)
  • US$5,688 million(2020)
[2]
IncreaseUS$6.0 billion[3](2017)
Number of employees
203,000[4](2017)
Parent
Websitecvs
Footnotes / references
[5]

CVS Pharmacy, Inc.is an Americanretailcorporation. A subsidiary ofCVS Health,it is headquartered inWoonsocket, Rhode Island.[6]Originally named theConsumer Value Stores,it was founded inLowell, Massachusettsin 1963.[7]

The chain was owned by its original holding companyMelville Corporationfrom its inception until its current parent company (CVS Health) wasspun offinto its own company in 1996. CVS Pharmacy is currently the largest pharmacychainin the United States by number of locations (over 9,600 as of 2016) and total prescription revenue.[8][5][9]Its parent company ranks as the fifth largest U.S. corporation by FY2020 revenues in theFortune500.[4]The parent company of CVS Pharmacy's leading competitor (Walgreens) ranked 19th for the same time period.[10]CVS sells prescription drugs and a wide assortment of general merchandise, including over-the-counter drugs, beauty products and cosmetics, film and photo finishing services, seasonal merchandise, greeting cards, and convenience foods through their CVS Pharmacy andLongs Drugsretail stores and online through CVS. It also provides healthcare services through its more than 1,100MinuteClinicmedical clinics[11]as well as their Diabetes Care Centers. Most of these clinics are located within or outside CVS stores.

CVS on Pratt Street in Baltimore, Maryland. This store opened in 2014.

Overview

[edit]
A "shield" logo typical of early Consumer Value Stores, c. 1965

CVS Pharmacy used to be a subsidiary ofMelville Corporation,where its full name was initiallyConsumer Value Stores.Melville changed its name to CVS Corporation in 1996[12][13]after Melville sold off many of its nonpharmacy stores.[14]The last of its nondrugstore operations were sold in 1997.[12]

Former CEOTom Ryanhas said he considers "CVS" to stand for "Convenience, Value, and Service".[15]

During the company's days as a regional chain in the Northeast, many CVS stores did not include pharmacies. Today, the company seldom builds new stores without pharmacies and outside ofNew Englandis gradually phasing out any such shops. Any new non-pharmacy store is usually built in a more urban setting where another CVS with a pharmacy exists within walking distance such as downtownBoston, MassachusettsorProvidence, Rhode Island.These stores usually lack a pharmacy and a photo center but carry most of the general merchandise items that a normal CVS Pharmacy carries such as health and beauty items, sundries, and food items.[citation needed]

Acquisitions and growth

[edit]
A CVS storefront typical of the mid-20th century, as shown in the company's 1971 annual report

1960s

[edit]

The name "CVS" was used for the first time in 1964. That year, they had 17 retail locations, and 40 stores five years later.[16]

In 1967, CVS began operation of its first stores with pharmacy departments, opening locations inWarwickandCumberland,Rhode Island. CVS was acquired by the now-defunctMelville Corporationin 1969, boosting its growth.[17]

1970s

[edit]

By 1970, CVS operated 100 stores inNew Englandand the Northeast.[18]

In early 1972, CVS introduced America's first refillable plastic bottle with its CVS private-label shampoo. Customers paid 79¢ for a bottle of CVS private-label shampoo and when they returned the empty bottle and cap, could buy another bottle of the same shampoo for 69¢ (a 10¢ saving).[19]This practice created a cause-related repeat-purchase cycle, wherein the customer saved 10¢ as they bought another bottle of CVS shampoo and avoided using (and CVS producing) a new plastic bottle. Each initial PVC bottle, flip-top cap and label cost CVS 11.5¢, so the process paid for itself and reduced plastic bottle pollution.

In 1972, CVS acquired 84 Clinton Drug and Discount Stores, which introduced CVS to Indiana and the Midwest.[citation needed]By 1974, CVS had 232 stores and sales of $100million.[citation needed]In 1977, CVS acquired the 36-store New Jersey-based Mack Drug chain.[citation needed]

1980s

[edit]

The chain had more than 400 stores by 1981. Sales reached $1billion in 1985, partly due to the pharmacies being added to many of CVS's older stores.[16]

In 1980, CVS became the 15th largest pharmacy chain in the U.S., with 408 stores[20]and $414million in sales. In 1988 CVS celebrated its 25th anniversary, finishing the year with nearly 750 stores and sales of about $1.6billion.[citation needed]

1990s

[edit]

In 1990 CVS acquired the 490-storePeoples Drugchain fromImasco,which established the company in new mid-Atlantic markets including Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. In 1994 CVS started PharmaCare Management Services. The parent company decided to focus on CVS in 1995, selling offMarshallsand This End Up. The following year, they let go ofFootaction/Footstar,Meldisco,Linens 'n Things,andKB Toys.The company, then decided to change its name from Melville Corporation to CVS Corporation. In 1997, Bob's Stores were also sold, and CVS nearly tripled its 1,400 stores after purchasing the 2,500-storeRevcochain (Revco had acquired Hook's Drug Stores, some of the original Hook's Drug Stores still operate under CVS brand and CVS operates digital pharmacy company as Hook SupeRx LLC.[21]). CVS bought 200Arbor Drugslocations in 1998, opened approximately 180 new stores, closed about 160 stores, and relocated nearly 200 existing stores from strip malls to freestanding locations. In 1999 CVS acquired Soma, the firstonline pharmacy,and renamed it CVS. The same year, CVS launched their CVS ProCare Pharmacy for complex drug therapies.[16]

In 1990 CVS bought the 23-store Rix Dunnington chain. In 1993, CVS withdrew from the southern California market. Formerly traded as MVL on theNew York Stock Exchange,the company now trades as CVS.

2000–08: Acquisition of Eckerd and other acquisitions

[edit]
A CVS Pharmacy (Store #6240) inSouthside Place, Texas(Greater Houston) that was formerly anEckerd.

CVS bought Stadtlander Pharmacy of Pittsburgh from Bergen Brunswig/AmerisourceBergen in 2000.[16][22]As of December 2009, CVS Caremark had over 7,000 locations.[23]

In 2004 CVS purchased 1,268Eckerddrug stores and Eckerd Health Services, a PBM/mail-order pharmacy business, fromJ. C. Penney.[24]Most of the former Eckerd stores, which were converted to CVS stores by June, are located inFlorida,Texas,and othersouthern states.Because JCPenney credit cards were accepted at Eckerd locations, CVS continued to accept them until July 2014.

A CVS Pharmacy on Canal Street inDowntownNew Orleans
Typical CVS in Coventry, CT.
A typical 2000s CVS inCoventry, Connecticut.

On January 23, 2006, CVS announced that it had agreed to acquire the freestanding drug store operations of supermarket chainAlbertsons.[25]The deal included the acquisition of 700 drug stores trading under theOsco DrugandSav-On Drugsbanners, mostly in the midwestern and southwestern United States (with a concentration of stores in southern California and the Chicago area), and was formally completed on June 2, 2006.[26]Transition of Sav-On and Osco stores to the CVS brand was completed by December 2006. CVS now dominates the southern California market. Also included wereAlbertsonsHealth'n'Home (now CVS Home Health) durable medical equipment stores. Approximately 28 CVS Home Health locations are present in Arizona, California, and the Kansas City area, representing CVS's first venture into the specialized DME market.
CVS had previously operated stores in southern California but completely withdrew from the market in 1993. CVS sold virtually all of the locations to Sav-On's then ownerAmerican Stores,who operated them under the name American Drug Stores. Many of the stores CVS gained in January 2006 had been the stores it owned prior to 1993. Before their re-acquisition, these stores were operated under the name Sav-On Express (the Express name was used to help customers identify these stores that did not carry all the lines of merchandise as compared to the larger, traditional Sav-On Drugs locations). CVS now operates over 6,200 stores in 43 states and theDistrict of Columbia.[27]In some locations, CVS has two stores less than two blocks apart.

On July 13, 2006, CVS announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Minneapolis-basedMinuteClinic,the pioneer and largest provider of retail-based health clinics in the U.S. MinuteClinic operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of CVS Corporation. MinuteClinic health care centers are staffed by board-certified nurse practitioners and physician assistants who are trained to diagnose and treat common family illnesses such as throat, ear, eye, sinus, bladder, and bronchial infections, and provide prescriptions when clinically appropriate. MinuteClinic also offers common vaccinations, such as flu shots, tetanus, and Hepatitis A & B. The clinics are supported by physicians who collaborate with the staff. There are over 550 locations across the United States, most of which are within CVS Pharmacy locations.

On November 1, 2006, CVS announced that it was entering into a purchase agreement with Nashville-based Caremark Rx Inc., apharmacy benefits manager.The new company is calledCVS Caremark Corporationand the corporate headquarters remains in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. The new pharmacy services business, including the combined pharmacy benefits management (PBM), specialty pharmacy, and disease management businesses, is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. The new CVS Caremark Corporation is expected to achieve about $75billion in yearly revenue for 2007. The merger was formally completed on March 22, 2007.[28]Tom Ryan, CVS's Chairman and CEO, remains president and CEO of the combined company, while Caremark's president and CEO, Mac Crawford, is chairman of the board.[28]

On November 7, 2007, Mac Crawford stepped down as chairman of the board for CVS Caremark. He was replaced by president and CEO of CVS Caremark, Tom Ryan.[29]

On August 12, 2008, CVS Pharmacy announced that it would acquireLongs Drugsfor $2.9billion. Walgreens made a counteroffer but dropped it. The deal closed October 30, 2008.[30][31]Longs Drugs stores outsideHawaiiwere rebranded to CVS Pharmacy by the summer of 2009.

2012–present: Acquisitions and conversion to CVS Health

[edit]
Logo until 2016 (still used on signage in many locations)
CVS inside Target. (Warwick, RI)
A normal CVS location inside Target located in theWarwick Mall.

In 2012 CVS Caremark received 59 percent of Rhode Island's tax credits.[32]

On July 14, 2014, it was announced that CVS Caremark would acquire theMiami-basedNavarro Discount Pharmacieswhen the deal closes, the 33 stores will remain untouched and will stay under the Navarro name.[33]

On September 3, 2014, CVS Caremark changed its name to CVS Health and announced that it would stop selling tobacco products.[34]

On October 25, 2014, CVS Health disablednear field communicationNFC payments, disallowing customers from usingApple PayorGoogle Walletpayment methods. A reason was not immediately given. Analysts suggested that it was a way to favor theMCXsystem, which was still under development, and of which CVS was a founding member.[35]They eventually re-enabled NFC on their registers after theMCXsystem failed to take off.

On May 21, 2015, it was announced that CVS Health would acquire Omnicare, Inc. the leading provider of pharmacy services to long-term care facilities, for $98.00 per share in cash, for a total enterprise value of approximately $12.7billion, which includes approximately $2.3billion in debt. The transaction was expected to close near the end of 2015.

On June 15, 2015, CVS Health announced its agreement to acquireTarget Corporation's pharmacy and retail clinic businesses. The deal expanded CVS to new markets in Seattle, Denver, Portland and Salt Lake City. The acquisition includes more than 1,660 pharmacies in 47 states.[36]CVS will operate them through a store-within-a-store format. Target's nearly 80 clinic locations will be rebranded as MinuteClinic, and CVS plans to open up to 20 new clinics in their stores within three years.[37]CVS started rebranding the pharmacies within the Target stores on February 3, 2016.[38]

In December 2017 CVS Health announced a deal to acquireAetna.[39]On October 10, 2018, CVS Health received approval from theUnited States Department of Justiceto acquire Aetna, for $69billion.[40]

CVS announced it would close 46 "underperforming stores" in 2019, and a further 22 in 2020, without disclosing their locations.[41]

In May 2020 CVS Health announced a partnership withNew York Gov. Andrew Cuomoto more than 60 CVS pharmacies that will conduct 50 or moreCOVID-19tests per day. The New York partnership comes within days of CVS's disclosure that it was going to dramatically ramp upCOVID-19testing by processing up to 1.5 million tests every month.[42]

In November 2021, CVS announced it would be closing approximately 900 stores over the next 3 years due to declining sales in underperforming and failing stores.

In January 2024, CVS said some Target pharmacy locations would close between February and April, citing shifts in population, consumer consumption, and anticipated health needs. The move came amid industry-wide labor struggles for pharmacies and were part of the company's plans to close about 10% of its stores overall. At the time of the announcement, the company operated roughly 1,800 pharmacies within Target's 1,950 locations.[43][44]

On February 5, 2024, it was announced that CVS Pharmacy will sell its stores inPuerto Ricoto Caribe Pharmacy Holdings, which operates the Farmacias Caridad chain in the region.[45]

CVS Rewards Program

[edit]

In 2013 CVS introduced a program that rewarded customers up to $50 per year in ExtraCare Bucks (store credit) that customers can use for purchasing additional items in store in exchange for filling their prescriptions.[46]In order to enroll in the program, customers had to sign a HIPAA waiver acknowledging, "my health information may potentially be re-disclosed and thus is no longer protected by the federal Privacy Rule." Stores had to fulfill a quota of a number of customers in the program each week. Walgreens and Rite Aid also offer rewards for filling prescriptions, although they do not require a signed HIPAA waiver.[47]

Stopping cigarette sales

[edit]

As was common practice among U.S. pharmacies, CVS originally stocked cigarettes for sale to the public. This met with criticism from public health advocates of theremoval of tobacco from pharmaciesdue to theharmful effects on healthassociated with smoking, who pointed to the apparent contradiction implicit in selling cigarettes while offeringsmoking cessationproducts and medications to treat ailments such asasthmathat are caused or aggravated by smoking.[48]CVS and other pharmacies that continued to sell tobacco products were subject to criticism, and attempts were made to introduce regional bans on the practice, notably by theCity and County of San Francisco.[49][50]

In 2007 CEO Thomas Ryan stated that the company was considering halting the sale ofcigaretteswithin its pharmacies, acknowledging that the issue was problematic for the company. He said the company would continue selling cigarettes, citing internal market research that concluded that ceasing cigarette sales would not change the consumer practice of purchasing them.[51]

In February 2014, CVS announced that it would stop selling cigarettes and other tobacco products at its stores and that it was challenging other retailers to do the same. The decision meant the company would forego about $1.5billion a year in tobacco revenue. In a videotaped message, CEO Larry J. Merlo said ending tobacco sales "is the right thing to do".[52]On September 3, 2014, CVS officially stopped selling cigarettes in its stores. AForbesmagazine article cited the move to remove tobacco products as coinciding with CVS's decision to change its corporate name from CVS Caremark to CVS Health and said this reflected a "broader health care commitment" and desire to change the future health of Americans.[53]

Online

[edit]

The domainCVSattracted at least 26million visitors annually by 2008 according to aCompetesurvey.[54]

CVS no longer owns the soma domain name, which it acquired with the purchase of online drugstore pioneer Soma; that domain now resides with thelingerie brand of the same nameowned by clothing retailerChico's.

By 2004, all CVS stores were able to receive electronic prescriptions.[55]

CVS Pharmacy y más

[edit]

In 2015 CVS Pharmacy launched an alternative version of their CVS Pharmacy stores calledCVS Pharmacy y másspecifically aimed at attracting Hispanic shoppers.[56]The first stores were launched in Florida and have since expanded to California, Puerto Rico, Texas, and New Jersey.[57][58][59]

Environmental record

[edit]

In 2005 CVS participated in a program to reduce the pollution of Maine's waterways. CVS agreed to accept drugs for disposal so that people would not dispose of them in ways that reach rivers and other bodies of waters.[60][61][62]

In 2013 CVS agreed to pay Connecticut $800,000 due to alleged mismanagement of hazardous waste. The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection agency found that CVS had improperly identified, managed, and disposed of hazardous materials.[63]

Controversies

[edit]
A CVS location (#7606) inAustin, Texas,across from theUniversity of Texas at Austin.This location opened in 1988 as anEckerd,Became CVS in 2005. Has moved as of Early 2022

Post-Dobbsprescription refusals

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Following theDobbscase that overturnedRoe v. Wade,CVS instructed its pharmacists in six states to refuse to fill prescriptions for many routine drugs, which could be potentially used to cause an abortion, unless the patient could affirmatively prove that they were not using the drug for an abortion, even if the prescription was long-standing.[64]Patient advocates for those with autoimmune disorders,[65]such as Crohn's disease, noted that this rule could result in many patients being denied access to medicines to treat their diseases.

$2.25 million HIPAA Privacy Case

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CVS was required to pay the United States government $2.25million in 2009 for violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy Rule. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) found that CVS did not appropriately dispose of sensitive patient information or provide the necessary training on disposal to their employees.[citation needed]

Executives accused of bribing state senator

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Former CVS executives John R. Kramer and Carlos Ortiz were charged with bribery, conspiracy, and fraud (including mail fraud) by a federal grand jury for allegedly paying State Senator John A. Celona (D-RI) to act as a "consultant" for the company. Between February 2000 and September 2003, CVS paid Celona $1,000 a month, and he received tickets to golf outings and sporting events and compensation for travel to Florida and California. In August 2005, he pleaded guilty to mail fraud charges, and in January 2007, he was fined a record $130,000 by the Rhode Island Ethics Committee. The investigation was led by theFBIand theRhode Island State Police,and the case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gerard B. Sullivan and Dulce Donovan. Kramer and Ortiz were acquitted after a jury trial, in May 2008.

Massachusetts prescription errors

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During 2005 a rash of prescription mistakes came to light in some of CVS Corporation's Boston-area stores. An investigation confirmed 62 errors or quality problems going back to 2002. In February 2006 the state Board of Pharmacy announced that the non-profit Institute of Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) would monitor all Massachusetts stores for the next two years.[66]Later, a 2007 segment onABC News 20/20accused CVS,WalgreensandRite Aidamong other pharmacies, of making various prescription dispensing errors. This segment aired in March 2007, and included an undercover investigation. CVS responded by claiming they had invested millions of dollars in designing a comprehensive quality assurance program.[67]

Texas lawsuit over illegally dumping records containing patient information

[edit]

Texas Attorney GeneralGreg Abbottsued CVS in April 2007, for illegally dumping records containing confidential patient information and sensitive financial information including credit card numbers when closing an acquired Eckerd store inLiberty, Texas.CVS was accused of breaking the state's 2005 Identity Theft Enforcement and Protection Act. It was reported that this was the fourth time action had been taken against CVS for violating the 2005 law and that there were also other possible violations under the Texas Business and Commerce Code.[68]CVS settled by paying $315,000 to the state and agreeing to overhaul its information security system.[69]

Deceptive business practices

[edit]
A CVS store inWest Hollywood, California.

In February 2008 CVS settled a large civil lawsuit for deceptive business practices. TheKaiser Family Foundationreported:[70]

CVS Caremark has agreed to a $38.5 million settlement in a multi-state civil deceptive-practices lawsuit against pharmacy benefit manager Caremark filed by 28 attorneys general, theChicago Tribunereports.[71]The attorneys general, led by Lisa Madigan (D) of Illinois and Douglas Ganslar (D) of Maryland, allege that Caremark "engaged in deceptive business practices" by informing physicians that patients or health plans could save money if patients were switched to certain brand-name prescription drugs (Miller,Chicago Tribune,2/14).[71]

However, the switch often saved patients and health plans only small amounts or increased their costs, while increasing Caremark's profits, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal (D) said (Levick,Hartford Courant,2/15).[72]Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett (R) said the PBM kept discounts and rebates that should have been passed on to employers and patients (Levy,AP/San Francisco Chronicle,2/14).[73]In addition, Caremark did not "adequately inform doctors" of the full financial effect of the switch and did not disclose that the switch would increase Caremark's profits, the lawsuit alleges (Chicago Tribune,2/14).[71]

...The settlement prohibits Caremark from requesting prescription drug switches in certain cases, such as when the cost to the patient would be higher with the new prescription drug; when the original prescription drug's patent will expire within six months; and when patients were switched from a similar prescription drug within the previous two years (Hartford Courant,2/15).[72]Patients also have the ability to decline a switch from the prescribed treatment to the prescription offered by the pharmacy under the settlement, Madigan said (Bloomberg News/The Philadelphia Inquirer,2/15).[74]

Pseudoephedrine lawsuit

[edit]
A CVS location inMacomb, Illinois,formerly anOsco.

On October 14, 2010, CVS was ordered to pay $77.6million in fines and returned profits stemming from a lawsuit alleging improper control in the sale ofpseudoephedrine,a drug that can be used to make methamphetamine.[75]

DEA investigation into oxycodone diversion

[edit]
See also:Drug diversion

In 2011 theU.S. Department of Justicecharged that CVS pharmacies inSanford, Florida,ordered enough painkillers to supply a population eight times its size.[76]Sanford has a population of 53,000 but the supply would support 400,000.[77]According to theDrug Enforcement Administration(DEA), in 2010 a single CVS pharmacy in Sanford ordered 1.8millionoxycodonepills, an average of 137,994 pills a month. Other pharmacy customers in Florida averaged 5,364 oxycodone pills a month. DEA investigators serving a warrant to a CVS pharmacy in Sanford on October 18, 2011, noted that "approximately every third car that came through the drive-thru lane had prescriptions for oxycodone orhydrocodone".According to the DEA, a pharmacist at that location stated to investigators that" her customers often requested certain brands of oxycodone using "street slang", an indicator that the drugs were being diverted and not used for legitimate pain management. In response, CVS, in a statement issued February 17, 2012, in response to opioid trafficking questions fromUSA Today,said the company was committed to working with the DEA and had taken "significant actions to ensure appropriate dispensing of painkillers in Florida".[78]

Sale of homeopathic remedies

[edit]

OnApril 1,2011, theJames Randi Educational Foundationawarded CVS Pharmacy the tongue-in-cheekPigasus Awardfor sellinghomeopathicremedies alongside medicines recognized by science.[79]

In July 2018 theCenter for Inquiry(CfI) filed a lawsuit in theSuperior Court of the District of Columbiaagainst CVS for consumer fraud over its sale ofhomeopathicmedicines.[80]In July, 2019, CFI announced that theStiefel Freethought Foundationwas contributing an additional $150,000 to the previously committed $100,000 to support the CVS and Walmart lawsuits.[81]The case was dismissed.

Photo website security

[edit]

On July 17, 2015, CVS shut down its online photo processing services,[82]blaming a third-party vendor, believed to bePNI Digital Media.According to reporters, CVS was unwilling to confirm or deny questions about whether hackers had stolen customer photographs as well as data.[83]The site was updated on September 11, 2015, with more details of the attack. By the end of November 2015 the CVS photo website was restored, and customers may order photo services online again.

Receipt length

[edit]

CVS has drawn ire for the length of its customerreceipts,specifically receipts given to people who have signed up for their ExtraCare rewards program.[84]Due to CVS's practice of placing numerous targeted coupons on the front, these receipts can be up to 5 feet (1.5 m) in length.[85][86]CVS CEOLarry Merloresponded by saying that they were working on ways to reduce the length of the receipts by 25% and mentioned that customers can get their receipts and coupons digitally through CVS's mobile app, which requires the customer to sign up for digital coupons and receipts. However, despite this, Merlo admitted that CVS still could do a better job of making the instructions to opt out of paper receipts more clear.[87]

The story has since become aninternet meme.[88]

Loss of controlled substances

[edit]

In 2020, Massachusetts CVS stores lost controlled substances at a rate several times higher than other pharmacy chains.[89]CVS was fined $5 million by the federal government in 2017 for controlled substance losses and other violations in California pharmacies, and $1.5 million in 2018 for failing to report losses from New York pharmacies.[89]

Abortion pill controversy

[edit]

In January 2023, CVS announced their intentions to start dispensingmifepristone,one of the two drugs used in amedication abortion,following a change in regulations from theFood and Drug Administration.[90]After receiving their certification to do so, CVS started offering abortion pills in jurisdictions where they are legal.[91]The offering of abortion pills atpharmaciessuch as CVS has caused major political turmoil, and has resulted in numerousprotestsin-front of the pharmacies.[92]

Pharmacists mistakenly cause an abortion

[edit]

In October 2023, CVS mistakenly gavemisoprostol,an abortion pill, to Tamika Thomas, a woman undergoingIVFwho was supposed to be receiving a medication to help kick-start herpregnancy.[93][94]In an interview with 8 News Now, Thomas stated she knew something was wrong when she experienced majorcramping."My cramping went beyond that. It was extreme. It was painful."[95]As a result of the medication, Tamika lost both of herembryos.She stated, "They just killed my baby... Both my babies, because I transferred two embryos. "[95]

At the hearing, one of thepharmacistsstated, "It's a human error. It was just a human error, and I'm so sorry." The two pharmacists were fined and placed onprobationfor one year. CVS Pharmacy was given a maximum fine of $10,000. The pharmacists will be able to return back to work after one year if all conditions are met.[95][96]

See also

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References

[edit]
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