May 2023 Food and Drug Administration advisors will host a meeting to discuss whether an over-the-counter birth control pill should be available.
The FDA currently approves a Pill called Opill from french drugmaker HRA Pharma to prevent pregnancy, although it is only allowed access with a prescription. If they agree to support this, Opill would be the first over-the-counter birth control pill available.
45% of pregnancies in the United States are unintended, according to the centers for disease control prevention.
This fight has been a push for a long time as young women and adults fight to have birth control available to all who need it. The Opill is a progestin-only medication, also nicknamed the “mini-pill.”
CDC researchers found that nearly three-quarters of pregnancies among teenage girls were not planned. Over half of these could have been solved with birth control usage and better protection.
Initially, the Non-Prescription Drug Advisory and Reproductive and Urologic Drug Advisory Committee were supposed to meet on Nov. 18 but had to reschedule to “review additional information.”
