Wal-Mart stocks EC
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
Barr Labs' emergency contraceptive Plan B will be sold in Wal-Mart pharmacies nationwide effective March 20, the mass retailer announces March 3. Wal-Mart was required to sell the drug in Massachusetts following a ruling by the state's Pharmacy Board Feb. 14 (1"The Tan Sheet" Feb. 20, 2005, p. 5). The firm is also required to sell Plan B in Illinois, and states that "pressure to introduce similar mandates is building in Connecticut and New York." The likelihood of more states following suit and "the fact that this is an FDA-approved product" swayed the company, according to VP-Pharmacy Ron Chomiuk. "We feel it is difficult to justify being the country's only major pharmacy chain not selling" the drug, he stated. Wal-Mart will "maintain its conscientious objection policy," allowing pharmacists to refer consumers to other pharmacies if they object to filling the prescription...