Walgreens ends purchasing restrictions around pediatric products

Walgreens is lifting an online purchase limit for pediatric fever-reducing products.

The Deerfield, Ill.-based pharmacy chain said in a statement that, “Walgreens has worked diligently with our suppliers to ensure we have enough supply to meet customer demand nationwide. Due to the improved in-stock conditions of over-the-counter pediatric fever-reducing products, we have removed the online only purchase limit.”

The company said that retailers nationwide were experiencing supplier fulfillment challenges due to increased demand for the products when it first announced the limit of six products per transaction last month. 

Walgreens added that, while it continued to have products to support customers and patients, it was seeking to prevent excess purchasing behavior.

CVS and Kroger also implemented purchasing restrictions last month. Walgreens is the first of those major retailers to lift those restrictions. 

CVS Health is continuing to restrict purchases of children’s pain-relief products to two per person both in-store and online, said Mary Gattuso, CVS lead director, retail communications. She said the restrictions are to ensure equitable access for consumers.

“We’re committed to meeting our customers’ needs and are working with our suppliers to ensure continued access to these items,” she said.

Cincinnati-based Kroger Co., which asked customers in December to limit their purchases to two pediatric pain medications and four cold and flu items, did not respond to a request for comment.

The purchasing restrictions were implemented at a time when U.S. hospitalization rates for the flu were reportedly the highest in a decade. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported almost 19,000 flu hospitalizations for the week ending Dec. 31, 2023, and 13 flu-related pediatric deaths, bring the number of flu pediatric deaths to 74 for the season.