FDA weighs over-the-counter Plan B sales

[kpete]

FDA weighs over-the-counter Plan B sales By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer

WASHINGTON - The government is considering allowing over-the-counter sales of the morning-after pill, but only to women 18 and older — a surprise move Monday that revives efforts to widen access to the emergency contraceptive almost a year after it was thought doomed.


The Food and Drug Administration notified manufacturer Barr Laboratories Inc. early Monday that it wanted to meet within seven days to iron out new steps the company must take in its three-year battle to sell the pill, called Plan B, without a prescription to at least some women.

The announcement came just 24 hours before President Bush's nominee to lead the regulatory agency, Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach, was scheduled to appear before a Senate committee, where he was expected to face grilling on why the morning-after pill had apparently gone into bureaucratic limbo.

The morning-after pill is a high dose of regular birth control that, taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex, can lower the risk of pregnancy by up to 89 percent.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060731/ap_on_go_ot/morning_after_pill;_ylt=ApiD5jptrHDd_oLeBESXfYus0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3b2NibDltBHNlYwM3MTY-

[ecstatic]

1. a compromise I'm willing to live with

The 18 and up thing. I'm not a parent so I'm not sure how parents would feel about their child possibly engaging in unprotected sex. On one hand, the prescription requirement may lead to intervention. Since birth control definitely requires a prescription I can see how Plan B might potentially be abused by the youngest consumers who have no other options (and boyfriend won't strap up).

[Quantess]

3. I'm not willing to compromise.

18 year olds should be parents?!
Oh, it's fine for me to say, at age 35, now that I'm mature and responsible enough to be a good mom, that I think I need Plan B.

But 18 year olds should have to stay pregnant?!
Yeah, that makes sense.:wtf:

[uppityperson]

2. getting it otc would be good. Here is another link for you to remember

http://www.fwhc.org/birth-control/ecinfo.htm

[Quantess]

4. OTC....is it safe enough for over the counter, though?

I don't know, that's why I'm asking. I know that some women shouldn't take monthly birth control pills, and you need a doctor's permission for those.

[uppityperson]

5. There can be side effects.

probably not as much risk taking 1 time large dose as continuing medicine, but I would check with a doctor/nurse practitioner/planned parenthood/family planning place first.