Retail pharmacies are imposing purchase limits and increasing prices for the emergency contraceptive Plan B after people flocked to stores hours after the Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade, The Wall Street Journal reported June 27.
Plan B can be used up to three days after sex and doesn't require a prescription like other emergency contraceptives do, resulting in a surge of consumer demand as about half of states have banned or plan to ban abortion. The medication works to prevent pregnancy by preventing ovulation; it will not end an existing pregnancy.
CVS is limiting purchases of Plan B to three per person, according to The Wall Street Journal. Rite Aid is also imposing a limit of three, Bloomberg reported. Walgreens briefly had a restriction between four to six in some areas, but a spokesperson told the Journal the limit was a mistake and would soon be corrected.
Health company Stix said purchases for its emergency contraceptive, Restart, hiked 600 percent June 24, according to The New York Times.
The cheapest option for emergency contraceptives, which are usually between $10 to $50, was $35, according to the Journal.
Orders for abortion pills, which differ from Plan B and are known as medication abortion, will also likely face more demand.