The first over-the-counter contraceptive pill will be available in U.S. stores later this month, making buying birth control pills as easy for American women and teens as buying aspirin.
Manufacturer Perrigo announced Monday that it has begun shipping the drug Opil to major retailers and pharmacies. According to the company’s suggested retail prices, a one-month supply will cost about $20, and a three-month supply will cost about $50. We also sell online.
The launch has been closely watched since the Food and Drug Administration announced it last July. Opil once a day It could be sold without a prescription. Ireland-based Perrigo said there are no age restrictions on sales, as with other over-the-counter drugs.
Opil, an older type of contraceptive pill sometimes called the mini-pill, contains a single synthetic hormone, progestin, and generally has fewer side effects than the more common estrogen and progestin combination pill.
The announcement gives American women a new contraceptive option amid legal and political battles over reproductive health, including the reversal of Roe v. Wade, which upended access to abortion across the country. It turns out. Opil’s approval is unrelated to the ongoing legal battle over the abortion drug mifepristone. And anti-abortion groups have generally emphasized that they do not oppose contraceptives to prevent pregnancy.
Oral contraceptives are available without a prescription in many parts of South America, Asia, and Africa.
This drug was approved despite some opinions Concerns from FDA scientists About the company’s results, including whether women with certain medical conditions understand that they shouldn’t take the drug.
Dr. Vada Hicks, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said in a statement that studies show patients, including adolescents, can be effectively screened for use of the pill.
