FDA approves the first over-the-counter birth control pill

Enlarge (credit: Perrigo)

For the first time, the Food and Drug Administration has approved a birth control pill to be sold without a prescription, meaning it will be available to millions of people over the counter at pharmacies, convenience stores, and grocery stores around the country, as well as online.

The FDA's approval, announced Thursday morning, is seen as a victory for the sexual and reproductive rights of Americans, which are currently under intense attack in much of the country.

The OTC-approved pill is the Opill (norgestrel), a once-a-day progestrin-only pill manufactured by the Dublin-based company Perrigo. The company said it expects the pill will be available starting in the first quarter of 2024, though its pricing is not yet clear. For optimal efficacy, it needs to be taken consistently every day in the same three-hour window. Opill is estimated to be about 93 percent effective at preventing pregnancy in real-life use, higher than the real-life efficacy of other over-the-counter birth control methods, such as condoms, which are around 87 percent effective.