A US Food and Drug Administration advisory panel on Wednesday voted in favor of using Perrigo Co’s contraceptive – Opill – without a prescription, paving the way for the country’s first approval for an over-the-counter birth control pill.
Contraceptives have been in focus since the US supreme court last year overturned the constitutional right to terminate pregnancies as it scrapped a landmark ruling in the 1973 Roe v Wade case.
The panel remained positive on the effectiveness of the pill, not only in the general population of women but also in adolescent populations and those with limited literacy.
The advisers’ decision comes after the FDA reviewers on Friday raised concerns around allowing daily over-the counter use of Opill, saying switching to non-prescription sale could lead to inappropriate usage by consumers.
Perrigo’s Opill, currently approved for prescription use, would be the first OTC non-estrogen contraceptive pill in the United States if approved by the regulator.
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The FDA generally follows the advice of its experts, though it is not bound to do so.