WASHINGTON (CN) — Federal officials approved the first over-the-counter birth control pill on Thursday.
The Food and Drug Administration cleared Opill to be sold without a prescription. The pill is manufactured by Ireland-based Perrigo.
Pills for contraception have been a common form of birth control for decades, but all required a prescription.
The manufacturer plans to start shipping the pill early next year, with no age restrictions on sales. It will announce the cost later this year. Over-the-counter medicines are generally much cheaper than prescriptions — but typically aren’t covered by insurance.
Amanda Stevenson, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Colorado Boulder, said oral contraception is one of the most commonly used methods.
“Unnecessary barriers, like having to go to doctor’s appointments each year, make it harder for people to manage their sexual and reproductive lives in ways that are the best for them,” she told CU Boulder Today.
Birth control pills are available without a prescription across much of South America, Asia and Africa.
The approval is solely for Opill, which is an older class of contraceptive containing a single synthetic hormone that blocks sperm from reaching the cervix. Newer birth control pills typically combine two hormones, but carry higher risks of serious side effects.
Older birth control pills usually cost $15 to $30 for a month's supply without insurance coverage.
The action comes amid legal and political battles over reproductive health that have escalated since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, essentially returning the issue of abortion to the states.
While anti-abortion groups have generally supported contraceptives, women’s health advocates have worried that contraceptive rights might be next. When the Supreme Court overturned Roe, Justice Clarence Thomas floated the possibility of reviewing the high court's previous decisions on same-sex marriage, gay sex and contraception cases.
Democrats have been unsuccessful in codifying the right to contraception in federal law.
The approval won’t affect ongoing court battles over the abortion pill mifepristone.
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