Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pill Is on the Way to Stores

Opill, the first over-the-counter birth control pill approved by the FDA, has been shipped to retailers and pharmacies and will be available for purchase later this month, Perrigo Company says. "From an online perspective, it should be available for order pretty much immediately," Perrigo exec Triona Schmelter tells CNN. She says that after it moves through distribution pipelines, which might take a few weeks, "consumers will find it in the family planning section in most retailers and should be able to pick it up at their convenience." No prescription will be needed for the pill, which Perrigo says is 98% effective. It was approved for use with a prescription decades ago.

• Price. Perrigo says the pill has a recommended retail price of $19.99 for a one-month supply and $49.99 for a three-month supply, and will be sold at Opill.com for $89.99 for a six-month supply. The Free the Pill advocacy group has urged the company to make the price much lower, suggesting $15 for a three-month supply.

• Who is it for? The pill is for people who want birth control but may not be able to visit a health care provider—or teens who might not have other options, NPR reports. "It doesn't require a doctor's visit, which means it doesn't require time off work or potentially a babysitter or finding a doctor," Schmelter says.
• It's a 'mini-pill.' This kind of birth control poll is known as a "mini-pill" because it is progestin-only pill, with no estrogen. Dr. Asima Ahmad, chief medical officer at the Carrot Fertility care platform, tells CNN that unlike pills that contain both hormones, progestin-only pills do not raise the risk of blood clots. She adds that the pill "does need to be taken at the same time every day to be effective."

(More Opill stories.)