Doctors Back Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pill Sales

Regulations, protectionism in the way

No prescription or doctor's exam needed: The nation's largest group of obstetricians and gynecologists says birth control pills should be sold over the counter, like condoms.

Tuesday's surprise opinion from these gatekeepers of contraception could boost longtime efforts by women's advocates to make the pill more accessible.

But no one expects the pill to be sold without a prescription any time soon: A company would have to seek government permission first, and it's not clear if any are considering it. Plus there are big questions about what such a move would mean for many women's wallets if it were no longer covered by insurance.

Still, momentum may be building.

Comments

[Robert]

It's not as if the makers of birth control pills would actually have to give permission for FDA to license their OTC sale. It's just that if FDA said, OK, no prescription needed, a company packaging them for sale that way would still need to comply with the nonprescription drug labeling rules, and FDA would have to OK those labels.