SA国际传媒

Online pharmacies and telehealth saw a boom in recent years, thanks to the pandemic.听

But now, additional eyes are on these startups as federal protections for the right to an abortion were struck down this summer in a 谤耻濒颈苍驳.听

The court鈥檚 decision in June reversed the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, which gave pregnant women the right to an abortion until fetal viability, or when the fetus could survive outside the womb. By overturning Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court made it so that states could ban or restrict abortions.听

How this will or won鈥檛 impact abortion pill providers continues to be muddy regulatory waters. In the meantime, existing digital health companies could expand their offerings to include abortion pills.

Medication-based abortion

Medication-based abortion provides an option for women early in their pregnancy. The combination of the pills mifepristone and misoprostol was approved by the in 2000 to terminate a pregnancy up to 11 weeks, , a research and policy organization focused on sexual and reproductive rights.听

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the requirement that women needed to visit a provider at a hospital or clinic to be prescribed mifepristone and misoprostol .

The change in rules led to an uptick in medication-based abortions, which now account for half the abortions in the United States, per the Guttmacher Institute. That鈥檚 up from more than one-third in 2017.听

Since the change in rules, at least two startups focused on providing medication abortions received funding, according to SA国际传媒 data. Those include New York-based and San Rafael, California-based .听

Hey Jane serves patients in California, Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York and Washington, while Choix serves women in California, Illinois, New Mexico and Colorado.

Choix has raised $1 million in funding from , while Hey Jane has raised $3.6 million from investors including and , per SA国际传媒.

Both companies provide virtual or text-based consults with patients who are early in their pregnancy and located in eligible states before shipping abortion pills, all for a flat fee.听

Choix saw a 600% increase in web traffic on the day the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was announced, according to CEO Cindy Adam. The company also experienced a 50% increase in the number of patients seeking care since the ruling, and it anticipates that increase to continue as people turn to medication abortion.

鈥淭elemedicine clinics like Choix can also alleviate capacity issues, helping local clinics to reserve in-person visits for patients who require or prefer in-person care or are traveling from out of state,鈥� Adam wrote in an email.

The company鈥檚 goal is to expand to every state where it can legally provide abortion medication by the end of next year, given how in flux the current situation is.

Medication abortion is currently in a bit of a gray legal area. While states now can ban abortions, mifepristone is approved by the FDA. On June 24, Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement that, 鈥嬧��鈥漵tates may not ban Mifepristone based on disagreement with the FDA鈥檚 expert judgment about its safety and efficacy.鈥�

Will more startups offer abortion pills?

While there are only two venture-backed startups in the SA国际传媒 database focused on providing the abortion pill, that doesn鈥檛 mean other health care startups aren鈥檛 looking to expand their services in light of the Roe v. Wade ruling.

, a partner at venture capital firm , who invests in the future of health, noted that the number of companies focused solely on providing abortion pills doesn鈥檛 provide the full picture of how startups are responding.听

Some existing digital health companies are working toward offering the abortion pill and expanding their women鈥檚 health services as well, said Shakir.

Lux portfolio company , for example, said in November that it would begin offering medical abortion in California, Shakir noted.

And Adam of Choix said she is aware of other online pharmacies working to become certified to dispense mifepristone.听

Online pharmacies grew more popular during the pandemic, as more people looked to have their medications shipped directly to them. But currently, there are only two online pharmacies licensed to distribute the abortion pill, including venture-backed

Shakir noted that it鈥檚 important for existing health care companies to expand services, given how difficult it is to start and roll out a company in a field as highly regulated as health care.

鈥淚 do think that it鈥檚 critical, because, especially if you鈥檙e starting a new company, it鈥檚 not easy to start and scale across states,鈥� Shakir said. 鈥淪o is making sure existing companies and companies focusing on other aspects of health care are stepping up to the plate.鈥�

Women鈥檚 health has historically been dismissed as niche鈥攕omething that Shakir said doesn鈥檛 make sense, considering women consist of half the population and make up around 80% of the dollars and decisions in health care.

Digital health is a relatively nascent space, though it鈥檚 gaining interest from investors as it matures, Shakir said.

鈥淗uman health is 鈥榬ecession proof鈥� in that we will continue to get sick and give birth and die and have significant health care needs,鈥� Shakir said. 鈥淎nd the major stakeholders in this industry, going beyond patients, the pharma companies, the providers, the payers 鈥� are under pressure to propel pandemic digital progress and make it permanent.鈥�

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