a non-prescription contraceptive pill soon available on shelves in the United States

Authorization for over-the-counter sales was granted in July 2023 by the United States Medicines Agency (FDA).

One more step towards the accessibility of contraception. “Opill, the first-ever daily birth control pill available without a prescription in the United States, will be available in-store and online at retailers nationwide in the coming weeks”, announced Monday March 4 its manufacturer, the American-Irish pharmaceutical laboratory Perrigo Company, in a press release. Authorization for over-the-counter sales was granted in July by the United States Medicines Agency (FDA).

Nearly half of the 6.1 million annual pregnancies in the United States are unintended, according to health authorities. “The availability of an oral contraceptive without a prescription is a truly revolutionary step in reproductive health”, said Melissa Kottke, an obstetrician-gynecologist in Atlanta, quoted in the press release. Having to consult a doctor to obtain a prescription “creates unnecessary obstacles for many people”she added.

More than a hundred countries allow the over-the-counter sale of birth control pills worldwide

Already authorized in the United States by prescription for several decades, the Opill pill will be sold in boxes of one or three blister packs, for one or three months, at a cost of $19.99 and $49.99 respectively. Many human rights activists have long called for non-prescription access to the pill, to make it more accessible to people who have difficulty accessing health care, including ethnic minorities, young people, immigrants or people living in rural communities.

Worldwide, more than a hundred countries authorize the over-the-counter sale of contraceptive pills, according to the Free the Pill coalition of organizations, many of them in Asia, Africa and Latin America. This is also the case in the United Kingdom, but prescriptions are still necessary in many European countries, notably France, Germany, Spain and Italy.