CVS

Florida law requires patients to have an in-person visit with a physician at least 24 hours before an abortion procedure, including for medication abortion. The patient then needs to make another appointment to take the first dose in person.

Changes by the FDA mean patients won't have to schedule in-person exams to get a prescription. That opens the door for more pharmacies to provide the medication. But not everyone will have access.

Walgreens will limit online orders of children's fever and pain medicine to six items "to help support availability and avoid excess purchases." At CVS stores, purchases will be limited to two.

CVS would pay about $5 billion and Walgreens more than $5.5 billion, though neither company has admitted wrongdoing. States have until the end of the year to accept the terms of the settlement.

The developments amount to what could be the last round of huge settlements after years of litigation over the drug industry’s role in an overdose crisis that has been linked to more than 500,000 U,S. deaths.

CVS Health CEO Karen Lynch says the deal will increase her company's connection to consumers in their homes.

CVS had for years granted the woman a religious accommodation that allowed her to opt out of prescribing or providing abortion-inducing drugs and certain contraceptives without incident.

The policy started the first week in July in Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Oklahoma, and Texas. CVS is asking care providers to help by including a diagnosis on the prescription.

The settlements left Walgreens as the sole defendant in a lawsuit that targeted businesses involved in all aspects of the opioid industry. A Pasco County judge is scheduled to begin jury selection next week.

The verdict in federal court comes as three of the country's largest pharmacy chains face thousands of lawsuits filed by communities across the U.S. The companies say they did nothing wrong dispensing huge quantities of opioids.