Posted on Jul 14, 2023
First over-the-counter birth control pill gets FDA approval
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US health regulators approved yesterday the first birth control medication available over the counter without a prescription in the US. The contraceptive, dubbed Opill, is expected to hit the market in stores and online sometime early next year.
Advocates for the decision say it will expand access to one of the most effective forms of birth control. While oral contraceptives are 99% effective at preventing pregnancy when taken as instructed (93% under real-world usage), only around 12% of US women aged 15 to 49 use them (see data).
Produced by the French manufacturer HRA Pharma, Opill is a progestin-only contraceptive. The single hormone formulation carries a lower risk of blood clots than most oral contraceptives available in the US, which combine progestin and estrogen—as many as nine women in every 10,000 taking the mixed hormone pills experience blood clotting each year.
Reports suggest no age restrictions will be placed on sales of the pill.
Advocates for the decision say it will expand access to one of the most effective forms of birth control. While oral contraceptives are 99% effective at preventing pregnancy when taken as instructed (93% under real-world usage), only around 12% of US women aged 15 to 49 use them (see data).
Produced by the French manufacturer HRA Pharma, Opill is a progestin-only contraceptive. The single hormone formulation carries a lower risk of blood clots than most oral contraceptives available in the US, which combine progestin and estrogen—as many as nine women in every 10,000 taking the mixed hormone pills experience blood clotting each year.
Reports suggest no age restrictions will be placed on sales of the pill.
First over-the-counter birth control pill gets FDA approval
Posted from apnews.com
Medical
Drugs
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
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SGT Mary G.
Sgt (Join to see) Truly. When did parents stop encouraging their kids to not fool around and instead to get married before having children, which imho increases the population in a responsible way . . . when it is possible to afford raising children. That is an ideal many young people in particular never attain, but it is also an ideal that many have never imagined, nor were told was expected of them. It is about good health and quality of life for adults and their progeny.
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Yes, there should be inexpensive birth control, but birth control as prescribed by a doctor is like $10/month with insurance and maybe $30/month without. OTC is probably going to be that much anyway, so there is absolutely no reason to offer it over the counter. And no age restrictions? WTF??
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Nothing oral for any type of birth control should be without age restriction it messes too much with hormone levels when the body is just beginning to mature and find its own levels it will adapt to. At least have the pill age restricted with out an ObGyn's prescription. For teen agers.
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