Local pharmacies limiting the purchase of Plan B pill amid spike in demand

SKIPPACK, Pa. - With the overturn of Roe v. Wade came a heightened demand for the Plan B pill. This spike in demand for the "morning after" pill is making it difficult for pharmacies to keep it on the shelves. 

Pharmacies like CVS and Rite Aid have begun limiting the amount of Plan B that a customer can buy. Other pharmacies, like Skippack Pharmacy in Montgomery County, are nearly fresh out.

"As a woman who is still able to reproduce, it’s scary to think that I won’t have access or that the supply will not be there," said Jennifer, a customer at Skippack Pharmacy. 

With only one box of the pill left on the shelves as of Tuesday, Skippack Pharmacy has a limit of just one per customer. 

Unfortunately, Dr. Mak Amin, of Skippack Pharmacy, says there is not much more to restock once that lone box is gone. 

"I was looking into our supplier’s inventory. It’s completely depleted, so it went from a few hundred down to zero," Dr. Amin said. 

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Big box pharmacies, like CVS and Rite Aid have a limit of three boxes per transaction after CVS reported having ample supply. The limit is to ensure equitable access for all people seeking to purchase Plan B.  

Since the jump in demand follows the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, many fear that a similar decision regarding contraception could be next. 

"I know that some of my friends that have pharmacies by university campuses ran out of the pill immediately," said Dr. Amin. 

Staff members at Skippack Pharmacy say they are not sure when they will have a replenished supply of morning after pills, but they are checking with their suppliers, which could take some time.