Updated July 13, 2023<ul><li>The&nbsp;<a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/13/health/otc-birth-control-pill.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">FDA approved a birth control pill to be sold over-the-counter</a>.</li><li>The medication, Opill, will be the first contraceptive to be this widely accessible in the U.S. without a prescription. Reproductive health experts believe the pill will especially benefit those who struggle with the cost and logistical hurdles of getting a prescription, including young women and teenagers.&nbsp;</li><li>The pill will be identical to the prescription version, which is 93% effective.&nbsp;</li><li>Perrigo Company, the manufacturer, said the pill will most likely be available in early 2024. It is still unknown how much the medication will cost, but the company's global vice president Frédérique Welgryn said they're committed to making it "accessible and affordable to women and people of all ages."</li><li>Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a statement:</li></ul><blockquote>"Today's approval marks the first time a nonprescription daily oral contraceptive will be an available option for millions of people in the United States."</blockquote><hr><h3>What's the story?</h3><ul><li>For the first time, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering allowing people to get <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/05/09/1174842515/the-fda-considers-first-birth-control-pill-without-a-prescription" rel="nofollow noopener">birth control pills without a prescription</a>.</li><li>The <a href="https://www.fda.gov/advisory-committees/advisory-committee-calendar/may-9-10-2023-joint-meeting-nonprescription-drugs-advisory-committee-and-obstetrics-reproductive-and#event-materials" rel="nofollow noopener">agency will hold a two-day meeting</a> with independent advisers to discuss the possibility. The advisers will discuss the scientific evidence and guide the agency on the next steps. The FDA is expected to make a final decision by the end of the summer.</li></ul><h3>What they're saying</h3><ul><li>Major medical groups like the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists support the request.</li><li>Kelly Blanchard, head of the nonprofit research group Ibis Reproductive Health, pointed to how hard it can be for many women to get a prescription, especially those in less affluent areas. She continued:</li></ul><blockquote>"It's a very exciting historic moment for contraceptive access...It could be someone doesn't have a healthcare provider. It could be the time it would take to get an appointment, the cost to get that appointment, taking time off work, organizing child care. All of those things really add up."</blockquote><ul><li>Others question whether taking a doctor's visit out of the equation will harm women. The Catholic Medical Association fears that skipping the need to see a healthcare professional would help sex traffickers abuse and control women. Dr. Timothy Millea, head of the association's health care policy committee, argued:</li></ul><blockquote>"It eliminates the need to see a physician for young ladies...That will eliminate the screenings for ovarian cancer, for cervical cancer, for sexually transmitted infections."</blockquote><ul><li>The <a href="https://www.fda.gov/media/167892/download" rel="nofollow noopener">FDA also raised questions</a> about omitting the input of medical experts for women deciding to get on birth control. The agency wondered whether people would be able to take the pills when they're supposed to and whether those with health complications would know not to take the drug.&nbsp;</li><li>However, proponents have dismissed the concerns as pills are available without a prescription in over 100 countries, which has proved successful. President of the AMA, Dr. Jack Resneck Jr., said:</li></ul><blockquote>"We think the evidence is quite clear. First of all, oral contraceptives have been used safely by millions of women in the United States and around the world since the 1960s."</blockquote><ul><li>He added that while regular check-ups are important, "they're not necessary prior to initiating or refiling an oral contraceptive." Resneck and others said that this increase in access has never been more critical in America, given that abortion access is under attack.</li></ul>&nbsp;Do you support allowing access to birth control without a prescription?&nbsp;&nbsp;-Jamie Epstein(Photo credit: iStock/<a class="photographer rAifkNtEthPdqk46dpRx" href="https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/towfiquahamed?mediatype=photography" data-testid="photographer" rel="nofollow noopener">towfiqu ahamed</a>)

Updated July 13, 2023
<ul>
<li>
The <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/13/health/otc-birth-control-pill.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">FDA approved a birth control pill to be sold over-the-counter</a>.
</li>
<li>The medication, Opill, will be the first contraceptive to be this widely accessible in the U.S. without a prescription. Reproductive health experts believe the pill will especially benefit those who struggle with the cost and logistical hurdles of getting a prescription, including young women and teenagers. </li>
<li>The pill will be identical to the prescription version, which is 93% effective. </li>
<li>Perrigo Company, the manufacturer, said the pill will most likely be available in early 2024. It is still unknown how much the medication will cost, but the company's global vice president Frédérique Welgryn said they're committed to making it "accessible and affordable to women and people of all ages."</li>
<li>Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a statement:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote>
"Today's approval marks the first time a nonprescription daily oral contraceptive will be an available option for millions of people in the United States."
</blockquote>
<hr>
<h3>What's the story?</h3>
<ul>
<li>For the first time, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering allowing people to get <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/05/09/1174842515/the-fda-considers-first-birth-control-pill-without-a-prescription" rel="nofollow noopener">birth control pills without a prescription</a>.</li>
<li>The <a href="https://www.fda.gov/advisory-committees/advisory-committee-calendar/may-9-10-2023-joint-meeting-nonprescription-drugs-advisory-committee-and-obstetrics-reproductive-and#event-materials" rel="nofollow noopener">agency will hold a two-day meeting</a> with independent advisers to discuss the possibility. The advisers will discuss the scientific evidence and guide the agency on the next steps. The FDA is expected to make a final decision by the end of the summer.</li>
</ul>
<h3>What they're saying</h3>
<ul>
<li>Major medical groups like the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists support the request.</li>
<li>Kelly Blanchard, head of the nonprofit research group Ibis Reproductive Health, pointed to how hard it can be for many women to get a prescription, especially those in less affluent areas. She continued:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote>
"It's a very exciting historic moment for contraceptive access...It could be someone doesn't have a healthcare provider. It could be the time it would take to get an appointment, the cost to get that appointment, taking time off work, organizing child care. All of those things really add up."
</blockquote>
<ul>
<li>Others question whether taking a doctor's visit out of the equation will harm women. The Catholic Medical Association fears that skipping the need to see a healthcare professional would help sex traffickers abuse and control women. Dr. Timothy Millea, head of the association's health care policy committee, argued:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote>
"It eliminates the need to see a physician for young ladies...That will eliminate the screenings for ovarian cancer, for cervical cancer, for sexually transmitted infections."
</blockquote>
<ul>
<li>The <a href="https://www.fda.gov/media/167892/download" rel="nofollow noopener">FDA also raised questions</a> about omitting the input of medical experts for women deciding to get on birth control. The agency wondered whether people would be able to take the pills when they're supposed to and whether those with health complications would know not to take the drug. </li>
<li>However, proponents have dismissed the concerns as pills are available without a prescription in over 100 countries, which has proved successful. President of the AMA, Dr. Jack Resneck Jr., said:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote>
"We think the evidence is quite clear. First of all, oral contraceptives have been used safely by millions of women in the United States and around the world since the 1960s."
</blockquote>
<ul>
<li>He added that while regular check-ups are important, "they're not necessary prior to initiating or refiling an oral contraceptive." Resneck and others said that this increase in access has never been more critical in America, given that abortion access is under attack.</li>
</ul>
 
Do you support allowing access to birth control without a prescription? 
 
-Jamie Epstein
(Photo credit: iStock/<a class="photographer rAifkNtEthPdqk46dpRx" href="https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/towfiquahamed?mediatype=photography" data-testid="photographer" rel="nofollow noopener">towfiqu ahamed</a>)