For the first time in the US, a pharmaceutical firm has asked to be allowed to sell birth control pills over the counter.
via: Revolt
There have been a lot of discussions surrounding reproductive health since the Supreme Court decided to rule in favor of overturning Roe v. Wade last month. As lawmakers scramble to find solutions, one pharmaceutical company is taking steps to make healthcare more accessible. Yesterday (July 11), French company HRA Pharma applied to seek FDA approval for over-the-counter birth control.
According to AP News, their plan was actually in the works before last month’s controversial Supreme Court decision. For decades, those seeking birth control were required to have a doctor’s prescription. The visit with the physician was to screen for risk factors such as blood clots. HRA Pharma’s concept shows that after years of research, their product allows women to effectively screen themselves. HRA’s Chief Strategy Officer Frederique Welgryn stated, “For a product that has been available for the last 50 years, that has been used safely by millions of women, we thought it was time to make it more available.”
Welgryn continued, “We’re very proud of being the first company to submit the first-ever application to the FDA for daily birth control over the counter, and obviously it’s coming at the right moment.” Sources say it could take up to a year for the pill to receive FDA approval. It would be marketed under the name Opill. The HRA representative called the timing of the company’s product “a bit of light in this very dark moment.” As reported by TIME, recent studies from Data for Progress show most American voters are in favor of non-prescription birth control, no matter their political party.
HRA Pharma is said to have worked on their progestin-packed pill for around seven years before presenting an application to the United States Food and Drug Administration. The pharmaceutical company hopes to know within the first half of 2023 whether or not Opill has been approved. Welgryn added, “We’re committed to making the pill affordable for all those who need it.”
