FDA approves first over-the-counter contraceptive pill in US aleteia.org

The FDA has approved the first non-prescription oral contraceptive, the Opill. The new drug will be available to purchase over-the-counter and is expected to increase the use of contraceptives in the US. The makers of Opill say that it will be available in pharmacies across the US in the first quarter of 2024.

While over-the-counter contraceptives are available in over 100 countries, Opill is the first to be approved by the FDA for purchase in the US. It is a single pill taken orally once per day and is said to work differently than previous iterations of the pill, as it does not contain estrogen. Instead, Reuters explains, it uses progestin, a synthetic form of the progesterone hormone, which suppresses certain hormones that ready the female body to become pregnant.

According to Perrigo, the American-Irish company that produces the Opill, the drug is 98% effective. Speaking to CNA, however, Dr. Ingrid Skop, an OB-GYN and director of medical affairs at the Charlotte Lozier Institute, noted that this contraceptive is not as effective as its predecessors.

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