The Food and Drug Administration in the United States has approved the first-ever over-the-counter birth control pill. Women and girls of all ages can soon buy Opill without a prescription.
The pill’s manufacturing company, Perrigo, says it won’t start shipping the pill until early next year. The pill will reportedly be available at drug stores, grocery stores and even online.
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“Today marks a truly momentous day for women’s health nationwide,” said Perrigo President and CEO Patrick Lockwood-Taylor. Opill, according to Lockwood-Taylor, has to the “potential to radically transform women’s access to contraception”.
Unintended pregnancies make up nearly half of the 6.1 million annual pregnancies in the US. Unintended pregnancies are linked to negative “maternal and perinatal outcomes”. This includes:
- reduced likelihood of receiving early prenatal care
- associated adverse neonatal, developmental and child health outcomes
- increased risk of preterm delivery
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OTC progestin-only oral contraceptive
“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,” said director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Patrizia Cavazzoni, M.D.
Daily oral contraception is safe. It is more effective than other nonprescription contraceptive methods in “preventing unintended pregnancy” says Cavazzoni. Only when used as directed.
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Opill is a progestin-only oral contraceptive, often known as a ‘minipill’. Experts say this is a “safe” form of contraception because it does not contain oestrogen: posing fewer side effects and health risks.
Opill is not an emergency contraceptive. It does not prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex explains the FDA. With that being said, oral contraceptive does not protect against the transmission of AID, HIV and other STDs (genital herpes, gonorrhea, chlamydia, genital warts and syphilis).
The monumental approval comes after an FDA expert advisory panel (in May) unanimously voted ‘yes’ that the pill should be available over the counter. The decision, however, has no connection to the ongoing court battles concerning the abortion pill (mifepristone). Pro-life groups are trying to limit access to the pill, which induces abortions.
