Ten-year-old Noraa Wise has an auto-immune disease that causes inflammation in her bones.
She was living in constant pain. The pain in her lungs was the worst.
“It felt like I didn't want to breathe,” Noraa said. “It just felt like needles.”
Her mom, Tyse Wise, said they had tried just about everything to get the pain under control.
“We were doing therapies and everything we could, but her pain just kept increasing and she would be crying all night long,” explained Tyse.
Life changed after Noraa was prescribed a drug called Methotrexate.
“It took about 2 weeks and she wasn't in pain anymore," Noraa’s mom said.
Methotrexate is a medicine that slows the body’s immune system and reduces inflammation. It’s commonly prescribed to treat rheumatoid arthritis and some cancers but can also be used to terminate non-viable, ectopic pregnancies. That’s when a fertilized egg grows outside the womb.
Since the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v Wade, some women said they’re having trouble getting the medication from pharmacists concerned they could be held responsible for aiding an abortion.
“As soon as I started hearing about women and other states having the issue, I started asking the question; is this going to be a problem,” Tyse said.
Annie England Noblin is a long-term user of Methotrexate. The Missouri woman has rheumatoid arthritis and says her prescription was recently put on hold.
“They needed to make sure my rheumatologist actually prescribed me Methotrexate for my RA and not so that I could you know abort a fetus,” Noblin explained. “It was immediate anger. I was embarrassed because I was in the pharmacy line. I said, okay, do you also need to know the first date of my last period as well?”.
Austin-based OBGYN Dr. John Thoppil says he has prescribed Methotrexate about 10 times in the past year to end non-viable pregnancies and is concerned about potential delays in patients getting it. Dr. Thoppil says no other medication will work.
“Unfortunately for the treatment of ectopic pregnancies, no. You know so if this is delayed there's a timeline that this works,” he said. “The pregnancy gets too far along, the only thing left is surgery.”
For Noraa, the medication is a game changer she wants to keep taking.
“I know the medicine works,” said the 10-year-old. “I don't have any more pain. I hope that I’ll have my medicine.”
We asked a few pharmacies about their policies with handling drugs like Methotrexate. Here are their responses:
CVS
The Associated Press reported that CVS Health started asking pharmacists in some states, including Texas, to verify that certain prescriptions they provide will not be used to end a pregnancy
Walgreens
“Our focus is meeting the needs of our patients and making sure they have access to the medications they need, in compliance with applicable pharmacy laws and regulations. Trigger laws in various states require additional steps for dispensing certain prescriptions and apply to all pharmacies, including Walgreens. In these states, our pharmacists work closely with prescribers as needed, to fill lawful, clinically appropriate prescriptions.”
H-E-B
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Kroger
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