FDA Finally Allows OTC Access to One Brand of “Minipill”—A Mini‐​step in the Right Direction

Jeffrey A. Singer

The Food and Drug Administration announced this morning that it has granted marketing approval for the over‐​the‐​counter sale of one type of birth control pill, a progestin‐​only pill (also called the “minipill”). As explained here, the minipill is not as easy to use as combination oral contraceptives. Dublin‐​based Perrigo, the maker of the pill that will have the brand name Opill, states it hopes to have the pill on the market by 2024.

As Josh Bloom and I wrote in May, enabling women to access this one brand of minipill is a ministep in the right direction. But the FDA should allow all women to access all forms of hormonal contraception over‐​the‐​counter.

Below are other articles I have written on the topic:

FDA Might Approve Over‐​the‐​Counter Sales of One Birth Control Pill. Now It’s Time To Approve All the Rest
Hey FDA, Free the Birth Control Pill!
OTC Birth Control Pills–Just What The Doctor Ordered
LA Times: Birth control should be available over the counter. How Congress can make that happen
NY Daily News: Over‐​the‐​counter birth control? Bring it on
Time: Women Should Not Have to Visit a Doctor for Birth Control