leisure time -WSS

leisure time

author：comprehensive 2025-08-23 08:54:35 - browse：54915

Perrigo Opill press photo – pharma coverage from STAT — Opill, the first over-the-counter birth control pill, is on its way to U.S. stores. Perrigo via AP

WASHINGTON — The first over-the-counter birth control pill will be available in U.S. stores later this month, allowing American women and teens to purchase contraceptive medication as easily as they buy aspirin.

Manufacturer Perrigo said Monday it has begun shipping the medication, Opill, to major retailers and pharmacies. A one-month supply will cost about $20 and a three-month supply will cost around $50, according to the company’s suggested retail price. It will also be sold online.

The launch has been closely watched since last July, when the Food and Drug Administration said the once-a-day Opill could be sold without a prescription. Ireland-based Perrigo noted there will be no age restrictions on sales, similar to other over-the-counter medications.

Opill is an older class of contraceptive, sometimes called minipills, that contain a single synthetic hormone, progestin, and generally carry fewer side effects than more popular combination estrogen and progestin pills.

Newsletters

Sign up for Morning Rounds

Understand how science, health policy, and medicine shape the world every day

Please enter a valid email address. Privacy Policy

The launch gives U.S. women another birth control option amid the legal and political battles over reproductive health, including the reversal of Roe v. Wade, which has upended abortion access across the U.S. Opill’s approval is unrelated to the ongoing court battles over the abortion pill mifepristone. And anti-abortion groups have generally emphasized that they do not oppose contraceptives to prevent pregnancies.

Birth control pills are available without a prescription across much of South America, Asia, and Africa.

The drug’s approval came despite some concerns by FDA scientists about the company’s results, including whether women with certain medical conditions would understand that they shouldn’t take the drug.

Dr. Verda Hicks, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, in a statement, said studies have shown that patients, including adolescents, can effectively screen themselves to use the pills.

— Matthew Perrone

Previous article： Peter Hotez and the public health issue of online harassment
Next article： The FDA weighs the risks of candy

WSS

Hospitals warn Medicare's drug payment fix is ‘unlawful’

Steward Health Care expansion into Malta flopped

Hospitals warn Medicare's drug payment fix is ‘unlawful’

Maker of FluMist seeks to allow at

First Opinion Podcast: How to protect health care in times of war

Mirador, a new biotech startup, launches with $400 million

knowledge

leisure time

Sign up for Morning Rounds

leisure time

In Memoriam: Notable people who died in 2023

FDA approves Eli Lilly ulcerative colitis treatment Omvoh

DIEP, the 'gold standard' of breast reconstruction, is under threat

U.K. officials, researchers try to ease path for bespoke genetic treatments

At least 13 dead in Texas as scorching temps continue

Mirador, a new biotech startup, launches with $400 million

What does generative AI mean for health care? We asked experts

Novo Nordisk to buy Cardior, building up pipeline of heart drugs

Peter Hotez and the public health issue of online harassment

Chimpanzees, like humans and whales, get menopause: Study

knowledge

Eli Lilly to pay $200M for Beam’s stake in gene

Testing for cancer recurrence creates a new limbo for patients

CRISPR technology availability, affordability needs to be expanded

STAT Wunderkinds: Ruey Hu's digital tools for parsing research

Biden's order seeks to regulate AI risk without stifling innovation

Chinese researcher claims birth of first gene

leisure time

entertainment

leisure time

focus