Morning After Pill™ Provides C-Stores New Opportunities for Trip & Sales Growth

OAKLAND, CA (September 12, 2024) – Cadence OTC, a Public Benefits company laser-focused on improving access to OTC emergency contraceptives, believes that convenience stores are in a unique position to attract new customers and at the same time fill a community need by offering its Morning After Pill (MAP). 

Because there are some misconceptions, it's important to note what MAP is and is not. MAP is not an abortion pill. MAP contains the progestin, levonorgestrel -- a medication that aids in preventing pregnancy. This is a direct contrast to mifepristone and misoprostol which are the two drugs in the “abortion pill”. MAP is a safe, effective over-the-counter contraceptive that is legal in all states. 

Power to Decide Research has shown that there are 19 million women 13-44 in what they call “contraceptive deserts” which they have defined as areas that lack reasonable access to a health center with the full range of contraceptive methods. 

Cadence OTC has taken a data-driven approach to further identify and quantify what they are calling “emergency contraceptive deserts” (EC deserts). Economics and / or geography can create these EC deserts. Age, poverty level, proximity of military bases and presence of major drug and mass chains were factored into their mapping which resulted in some 7,000 zip codes (urban and rural alike) qualifying for what they have termed “emergency contraceptive (EC) deserts”.  

Samantha Miller, Cadence OTC CEO and Co-Founder, said, “We believe that convenience stores are the answer to filling the void in OTC emergency contraceptive availability particularly in these “EC deserts” – those 7,000 zip codes that don’t have easy access to emergency contraceptives. The sooner you take an EC, the better it works, hours matter - so convenience really matters. It’s great
to see our c-store partners in EC deserts and near colleges doing so well with Morning After Pill.” 

To address this opportunity, Cadence OTC has specific store level marketing efforts targeting convenience stores in these 7,000 zip codes where healthcare services are lacking and there are few or no drugstores to fulfill the needs of the approximately 23 million women of childbearing age who live there.  

The opportunity for c-stores to capture current drugstore customers as well as fill the void as increasing numbers of drug outlets shrink across the country is yet another way to attract new customers.   

CVS, which once boasted of opening or buying stores, is now shuttering hundreds and Walgreens, Rite Aid and independent drugstores are also pulling back. Some have become wellness centers but those too are declining. Walgreens, for example, has been planning significant closures – the chain could lose up to 25% of its 8600 stores; CVS has been closing stores since 2021 and Walmart earlier this year announced the closure of 51 health centers.   

C-stores are in an advantageous position to fill this void and serve their communities at the same time. New customers, additional trips, increased basket size all add up to increased revenue.  

Earlier this year Lil’ Drug Store Products became the exclusive convenience channel distributor for MAP. Paul Rossberger, Lil’ Drug VP of Sales and Marketing, said “We have found c-stores in college markets and the military particularly receptive to our marketing efforts and see those markets as high potential.”   

Receptivity has turned into sales performance for MAP. College towns and around military bases have proven to be top performers -- both representing audiences  from which c-stores in those markets have capitalized. Actual sales in stores which were early adopters of the product have run between four and nine units per month!  

Cadence OTC is a Public Benefits consumer healthcare company based in Oakland, CA. The company is on a mission to increase over-the-counter (OTC) access to safe, effective, affordable contraceptives for everyone everywhere. In 2024, Cadence OTC launched an affordable emergency contraceptive, the Morning After Pill, to convenience stores nationwide, and recently added an ultra-sensitive pregnancy test, EarlyPT. The company was founded and is led by renowned reproductive health experts, experienced healthcare entrepreneurs, and supporters who care deeply about making contraceptive care equally accessible and safe for all people.

For more information about Cadence OTC visit: www.cadenceotc.com.