The number of Australian pharmacies stocking the abortion pill MS-2 Step increased by almost 50% following the relaxation of prescribing restrictions in 2023. A study published in the medical journal JAMA Network Open examined the impact of these changes by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
Prior to the changes, GPs needed additional training and registration to prescribe MS-2 Step. The requirement for pharmacists to be registered to dispense the drug was also removed, and administrative hurdles were eased. Appropriately trained nurse practitioners and endorsed midwives also became eligible prescribers.
By mid-2025, 4,107 pharmacies were stocking the medication, up from 2,228 before the policy change. This represents a 49% increase. The number of postcodes with a stocking pharmacy rose from 915 to 1,292, covering nearly half of all Australian postcodes. Regional coverage increased from 23% to 35% of postcodes, and the proportion of stocking pharmacies in remote areas nearly doubled, from 12.5% to 22%.
Prof Kristina Edvardsson from La Trobe University, lead author of the paper, stated that the findings indicate Australian women can access the medication closer to home. She added that it removes unnecessary travel and stress, which is particularly important for disadvantaged women and those in rural and remote areas.
Dr Anna Noonan, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Technology Sydney, suggested this data could be an important signal for countries with more restricted prescribing, such as the US.