The FDA approved the birth control pill for distribution in the United States by prescription in 1960, but it is currently only available with a prescription from a doctor or pharmacist. (areeya_ann / Shutterstock) |
BY CARRIE N. BAKER and ROXY SZAL | The FDA approved the birth control pill Opill to be available over-the-counter—the first nonprescription birth control pill in the U.S. It is expected to be available in stores and online beginning early next year. The price is still unknown.
In a Kaiser survey last year, more than three-quarters of women of reproductive age said they favored an over-the-counter pill, citing convenience as the primary motivating factor.
Most birth control pills contain estrogen and progestin. In contrast, Opill is a “progestin-only” pill. Progestin-only pills are 93 to 99 percent effective at preventing pregnancy.
“Birth control is safe, effective and essential—women across America have known that for decades, and I’m glad the FDA has followed the science to finally put over-the-counter birth control on the shelves,” said Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.). “For the first time ever, women in this country will be able to walk into a pharmacy and pick up birth control without a prescription. But it’s not enough for an over-the-counter birth control pill to be available to women—it has to be affordable, too. That’s why we need to pass my legislation that would make certain insurers fully cover over-the-counter birth control, without any out-of-pocket costs”—legislation known as the Affordability Is Access Act.
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