FDA Approves First Over-The-Counter Birth Control Pill

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday announced that it had approved the first over-the-counter birth control pill, making it the first hormonal contraceptive pill available to buy in the U.S. without a prescription. The decision to clear Perrigo’s once-a-day Opill means that, when it starts shipping next year, the contraceptive will be available to buy in stores alongside other similarly accessible medications like aspirin, and no age restrictions will be enforced on its sale. Medical officials have long called for greater access to birth control, with factors including doctors’ fees and the need to get time off work for clinical visits among the existing hurdles for many. Kelly Blanchard, the president of the Ibis Reproductive Health non-profit which backed the approval, called the FDA’s decision “a transformation in access to contraceptive care.”