Opill was first approved by the FDA about 50 years ago, but until now, users needed a prescription to access it.
Perrigo Company
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first daily oral contraceptive for over-the-counter use on Thursday. The medication, called Opill, was initially approved in 1973, but its manufacturer, Perrigo’s HRA Pharma, applied for the drug to be available without a prescription last year.
“This is a monumental decision,” Melissa Simon, a clinical gynecology researcher at Northwestern University, tells Berkeley Lovelace Jr. of NBC News. “OTC birth control is available in over 100 countries, so we’ve been behind in availing safe, effective methods such as this oral contraceptive pill…
