Within weeks, for the first time in the U.S. consumers will be able to find a birth control pill on retail shelves.
Bill Oxford/iStock via Getty Images
Sarah Lynch, Binghamton University, State University of New York
Once available, Opill will be the most effective form of nonprescription birth control on the market. But you should still speak with your health care provider about any questions.
The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first nonprescription daily birth control pill.
Dimitri Otis/Stone via Getty Images
Sarah Lynch, Binghamton University, State University of New York
The new over-the-counter pill is highly effective at preventing pregnancy but must be taken at the same time daily, which can be a limitation for some people.
The progestin-only pill Opill could be available in early 2024.
Kwangmoozaa/iStock via Getty Images
With the approval of the first over-the-counter oral contraceptive, pharmacists stand to play an ever-increasing role in helping expand access to reproductive health care in the post-Roe era.
The over-the-counter birth control pill will not require medical examinations or prescriptions prior to purchase.
Sergey Mironov/Moment via Getty Images
Some states already allow pharmacists to provide birth control to patients with a prescription. But FDA approval of an over-the-counter birth control pill could greatly expand access.
Lack of pharmaceutical industry interest has stymied the development of new male contraception options.
filo/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images
There hasn’t been a new form of male birth control since the 1980s. More contraception options for all partners could help reduce the rate of unintended pregnancies.
Physician/Investigator at Lundquist Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and Professor of Medicine at David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles