The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved on Thursday (13) a birth control pill to be sold over-the-counter in the United States, a milestone that could significantly expand access to contraception.
The medication, called Opill, will become the most effective birth control method available without a prescription – more effective at preventing pregnancy than condoms, spermicides, and other methods. Reproductive health experts said its availability could be especially helpful for young women, teenagers, and those who struggle with the logistical hurdles involved in visiting a doctor to obtain a prescription.
The pill’s manufacturer, Perrigo Company, based in Dublin, said that Opill is likely to be available in U.S. pharmacies in early 2024.
The company did not disclose how much the medication will cost – a key question that will help determine how many people will use the pill – but Frédérique Welgryn, Perrigo’s global vice president of women’s health, said in a statement that the company is committed to making the pill “accessible and affordable for women and people of all ages.” She also mentioned that the company may have a consumer assistance program to provide the pill at no cost to some women.
Since the Supreme Court overturned the national right to abortion last year, access to contraception has become an increasingly urgent issue. But long before that, the movement to make a pill available over-the-counter for all ages received broad support from reproductive health experts such as the American Medical Association, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Opill has been approved for prescription use for 50 years. The over-the-counter pill will be identical to the prescription version, which is 93% effective in preventing pregnancy with normal use.
Opill is known as a “mini-pill” because it contains only one hormone, progestin, in contrast to “combined” pills, which contain both progestin and estrogen. A company that manufactures a combined pill, Cadence Health, is also in negotiations with the FDA to approve an over-the-counter version.
Source: The New York Times