(Washington, DC) — Advil and Tylenol are getting a new Shelfmate. The FDA approved the first of its kind over-the-counter birth control pills, allowing women to grab the pill from a local pharmacy’s drug aisle.
Kelly Blanchard, president of Ibis Reproductive Health, told the Associated Press “This is really a transformation in access to contraceptive care.”
Previously, the contraceptive pill could only be obtained via a doctor’s prescription, but that changed this morning after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Perrigo’s once-a-day Opill to be sold over the counter.
“Hopefully this will help people overcome those barriers that exist now,” concluded Blanchard. The over the counter pill will likely hit shelves early next year. It will be sold with no age restrictions.
77 WABC’s Michael Lamorte spoke with Doctor Colleen Denny, Dept of OBGYN and director of Family Planning at NYU, regarding the first of its kind over the counter birth control pill. Here is what she had to say:
