the first over-the-counter contraceptive pill arrives in the US – 2024-03-09 03:07:02

Starting this month, the first over-the-counter birth control pill is now available in drugstores across the country. USA. This represents a significant advance in the prevention of unwanted pregnancies as it will allow American women and teenagers to purchase the pill with the same ease with which they purchase aspirin.

This Monday, the manufacturer Perrigo reported that the drug has already begun to be distributed in retail stores and pharmacies. A month’s supply will cost about $20., while one for three months, about $50, according to the company’s suggested retail price. It will also be sold online.

What is the over-the-counter contraceptive pill called?

The name of the pill is Opilland is an older type of contraceptive, sometimes called the mini-pill, that contains a single synthetic hormone, progestinaand tends to have fewer side effects than the more common combined estrogen and progestin pills.

The launch has been the subject of widespread attention since last July, when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declared that Opill, taken once a day, could be sold without a prescription. Ireland-based Perrigo said there will be no age restrictions on its sale, as is the case with other over-the-counter medications.

This approval offers a contraceptive option to women in the United States, which is in the midst of legal and political debates and battles over reproductive health, including the reversal of the Roe v. Wade, which has disrupted access to abortion throughout the country, since Opill is not directly related to it since it is not, for example, the abortion pill mifepristone. And anti-abortion groups have generally stressed that they are not opposed to contraceptives to prevent pregnancy.

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Birth control pills can be purchased without a prescription in much of South America, Asia and Africa.

Dr. Verda Hicks, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said in a statement that studies have shown that patients, including adolescents, can effectively self-screen for use of the pills.