Sarahmirk/Creative Commons/Illustration by Jandos Rothstein
By now we’ve grown accustomed to seeing products out of stock, in short supply, or with limited purchase. Welcome to supply-stressed America, 2022. But the latest shortage has a simple rationale.
CVS, Walmart, and Rite Aid have all placed limitations on the sale of what is commonly known as the morning-after pill. These pills make up the first line of defense against pregnancy, as they prevent ovulation. Right now, you can only get three sets of Plan B One-Step, the main morning-after pill available without a prescription, at CVS or Rite Aid. Walmart’s limits are around four to six, though if you want more you have to wait a month. So far, Walgreens has no purchase limit, though its website erroneously said there was one. It has stopped shipping to the home; purchases can only be made in-store. Most of the major retailers are showing out of stock or short supply on their websites.
This is a classic hoarding scenario, akin to toilet paper at the outset of the pandemic. Women now have no control over their own bodies in many parts of the country, and the morning-after pill can prevent them from having to carry a child to term at the behest of the state. That’s driving the run, and subsequent rationing. It’s a rare supply chain issue derived from forced second-class citizenship.
The shelf life of Plan B is four years, equivalent to prescription medication abortion pills like mifepristone (which can stay in medicine cabinets for five years) and misoprostol (which can stay for two). Though Planned Parenthood on Monday warned women against stockpiling the drug, in the past the message has been to “buy it BEFORE you need it.” It’s going to be next to impossible to convey that everyone needs to be mindful to not create shortages in emergency contraception, especially in the wake of Clarence Thomas threatening all contraception in the years to come.
And so you have this hoarding taking place, which has likely been going on since the leaked draft opinion. The demand surge isn’t surprising and manufacturers are reportedly increasing production. But this must of course intersect with all the trials of sourcing ingredients, finding berths on ships, securing freight delivery, and the sundry other supply chain challenges that haven’t abated over two years.
The situation is likely to jack up the price, if only because the cheaper options get sold out more quickly. Morning-after pills can be found typically for as little as $8–$10, but prices are climbing. The Wall Street Journal couldn’t find an option below $35 on Monday.
Fortunately, there aren’t any financial predators in this space able to capitalize on the chaos. Wait, what am I talking about, this is America. The leading over-the-counter emergency contraceptive Plan B One-Step is owned by two private equity firms, which bought it out from Teva Pharmaceuticals in 2017. Watch your wallet!
More broadly, it’s another reminder that our system of commerce is fragile, and any of a number of disruptions can make a normal transaction unattainable. We created a just-in-time system that didn’t account for climate change, pandemics, civil unrest, random fires, or contamination events at factories, or in this case, a lurch back to the Stone Age for reproductive rights. The system is constantly breaking because it’s breakable.
