FDA approves over-the-counter birth control
Some activists still worry about cost of medication without insurance coverage
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration approved an over-the-counter birth control pill on Thursday that activists say will be a game-changer in addressing the issue of contraceptive deserts.
The FDA approved Opill, a progestin-only daily oral contraceptive from pharmaceutical company Perigo, for use for all ages. Opill is the first-ever birth control pill available over the counter in the United States, according to a news release from the company.
The pill will be on shelves in early 2024, according to Rachel Fey, vice president of policy and strategic partnerships for Power to Decide, an advocacy organization that promotes reproductive access and rights for all people. There still are some issues to work out. Fey said policymakers have to ensure that insurance companies will pay for birth control that is bought over the counter.
“We don't know what the price for this pill is going to be when it goes on the shelf,” Fey said. “That is still an unknown. And certainly, that is a huge factor in whether or not this is really accessible, particularly for people who are struggling the most with contraceptive access barriers.”
More than 19 million women of reproductive age living in the US are in need of publicly funded contraception and live in contraceptive deserts, according to data kept by Fey’s organization. Living in a contraceptive desert means that they lack reasonable access in their county to a health center that offers the full range of contraceptive methods.
Around 1.2 million of these women live in a county without a single health center offering the full range of methods. For all of these women getting contraception means having to do more than showing up to an appointment.
Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, birth control access has been a campaign at both the federal and state government level. While FDA over-the-counter access was a focus, so was the effort to get state legislatures to permit pharmacists to prescribe birth control to women who came into their facilities.
“They're complementary strategies,” Fey said. “For starters, this is one pill. It's a huge, huge advancement. And we are hopeful there will be additional pills approved for over-the-counter use. But it may not be right for everyone. And there may be methods that a pharmacist can prescribe different from this one that are right for that particular person.”