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The major American pharmacy chain Rite Aid has announced the closing of its final stores.

This past Saturday, the company's online portal was replaced with a announcement indicating: "All Rite Aid locations have currently shut down. We appreciate our loyal patrons for their long-standing of support." The website also provided a option for customers to obtain their pharmacy files.

Founded in 1962, the company was at one time a leading pharmacy retailers in the United States. At its peak, Rite Aid counted around 5,000 stores.

But in the past few years, the company faced economic challenges and a federal investigation. Recent data showed less than 100 locations were still open.

Rite Aid had filed for Chapter 11 in late 2023 and again in May 2025.

The company also faced lawsuits over its involvement in the opioid crisis. In 2022, Rite Aid paid up to $30 million to resolve legal claims claiming it fueled the spread of painkillers in the United States.

In the subsequent year, in its 2023 bankruptcy submission, the firm said that restructuring would help it "settle legal disputes."

Rite Aid also faced a Justice Department lawsuit in which authorities alleged the firm's stores processed unlawful prescriptions for powerful painkillers. The company agreed to resolution in mid-2024.

Other US pharmacy chains have likewise been shutting down stores across the country, though different factors have been cited.

Over the past few years, CVS has shut down over 1,000 stores as part of a strategic move.

In a similar vein, Walgreens, which was recently acquired by investment group Sycamore Partners, shut down 500 locations over the past year.

Industry observers have raised worries about growing "drugstore dead zones" in the United States, where a large number of people live without a drugstore close by and must travel to have medications filled.