How over-the-counter birth control pills could improve reproductive health
Being able to buy birth control pills off the shelf took a big step forward on May 10. Two advisory committees to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration voted unanimously to make a birth control pill available without a prescription. The pill, called Opill and known by the generic name norgestrel, is a progestin-only pill. That’s in contrast to combined oral contraceptive pills, which contain progestin—or another form of progesterone — along with a form of estrogen (SN: 4/13/23). Progesterone and estrogen are two of the hormones that regulate the menstrual cycle. Opill gained FDA approval for prescription use in the United States in 1973, under a different brand name. The advisory committees that recently met were tasked with considering a switch from prescription to over-the-counter status, which involves reviewing data that the drug can be used safely and effectively without the oversight of a physician. The FDA committees — one with expertise...