The United States authorized this Thursday the sale without a prescription of a contraceptive pill, something unprecedented in the country. Opill will be available in pharmacies, shops and supermarkets, as well as online, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced.
This decision should “reduce access barriers” to this contraceptive method, estimates the FDA in a statement.
“When used as directed, daily oral contraceptives are safe and are expected to be more effective than currently available over-the-counter methods of contraception in preventing unintended pregnancy,” said FDA Director Patrizia Cavazzoni.
The US agency warns that women who have suffered from breast cancer should not take this pill, which only contains progesterone.
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More than a hundred countries already allow the free sale of birth control pills, according to the Free the Pill coalition of organizations.
But in the United States the announcement comes at a time when conservative hardliners oppose abortion rights, which are banned in several states.
The pill, made by pharmaceutical company HRA Pharma, recently acquired by Perrigo, It has been authorized for years in the country, but with a prescription.
The pharmaceutical company HRA Pharma applied for approval for its use without a prescription, and to be approved it had to demonstrate that the product can be used safely and effectively without the need for assistance from health personnel.
Studies have shown that the information provided by this drug was high and sufficient for the consumer.
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What impact does the decision have?
It will be available “from the first quarter of 2024”, Perrigo said in a statement.
Its price is unknown but it will have to be “affordable and covered by health insurance”, Free the Pill said in a statement, calling the FDA’s decision after two decades of pressure “historic.”
It could “transform access to contraception,” stressed this coalition of experts.
In the United States, almost half of the 6.1 million pregnancies each year are unintended, the FDA says, adding that they are associated with more “negative outcomes,” such as increased risk of not receiving prenatal care, preterm birth, and health complications for the baby after birth.
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According to experts, FDA decision could have a big impact on teens, who may find it more difficult to go to the doctor.
This measure could also facilitate access “to those who face more barriers in our health system, such as LGBTQIA+ people, people of color and those who have to work to make ends meet,” said Lin-Fan Wang, a physician, quoted in the Free the Pill statement.
In May, an advisory committee of experts convened by the FDA voted unanimously to authorize the over-the-counter pill, arguing that the benefits outweighed the risks.
The birth control pill, which must be taken every day at the same time, prevents a woman from getting pregnant. It differs from the abortion pill, which is taken once the pregnancy is confirmed to terminate it.
AFP
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