Soon, American women will be able to buy birth control pills without prescription

US has approved the first-ever over-the-counter birth control pill following which the women and young girls in the United States will be able to buy contraceptive medication without showing prescription at the concerned retail outlet.

The US Food and Drug Administration's decision specifically pertains to Opill. This particular pill belongs to an older class of contraceptives, known as minipills, which contain a single synthetic hormone and generally have fewer side effects than the more commonly used combination hormone pills.

When will it be available?

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The over-the-counter birth control pill will be available for shipping in early next year, it was revealed.

Why is over-the-counter availability unique?

Hormone-based pills have been widely used as the primary form of birth control in the US since the 1960s, where abortion rights have polarised the masses.

But, until now, a prescription was required for all of these pills.

What does it mean?

Medical societies and women's health groups have advocated for broader access to birth control, citing that approximately 45 per cent of the 6 million annual pregnancies in the US are unintended.

Teenagers, young adults, women of colour, and those with low incomes often face significant obstacles in obtaining prescriptions and accessing birth control due to factors such as the cost of doctor visits, time constraints, and lack of childcare.

In most parts of the world, India, China, Russia, Brazil and most Latin American countries,birth control pills have beenavailable over-the-counter for years.

Also watch |US: Joe Biden unveils new order to protect access to contraception

"This marks a significant advancement in contraceptive care access," Kelly Blanchard, president of Cambridge-based Ibis Reproductive Health, a non-profit organisation that supported the approval, was quoted as saying by Associated Press.

"Hopefully, this will help people overcome the existing barriers."

What is the price?

Perrigo, the pharmaceutical companybased in Ireland, is yet to disclose the price of the pill.

But it must be noted that over-the-counter medications are generally more affordable than prescription drugs. They, however, are typically not covered by insurance.

How it happened?

The American Medical Associationsupported Opill's application for over-the-counter status. An external panel of FDA advisers unanimously voted in favour of the switch during a May hearing, where numerous public speakers advocated for Opill's approval.

Amid the widespread curtailment of women's reproductive rights in some US states, the approval is significant given the mountingpressure FDA faced from Democrat Party politicians, activists and medical professionals to facilitate access to easy birth control measures such as birth control pills.

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