July 13 (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved the first over-the-counter contraceptive pill, paving the way for millions of women in the country to purchase birth control without prescription.
Perrigo will next week share its pricing plan for the pill, which will be available in stores and online in the first quarter of next year.
Women should take a progestin-only pill within the same three hours every day to avoid pregnancy.
The National Catholic Bioethics Center and other groups have opposed making Opill available without prescription, saying physicians should be involved in health decisions, especially for teenagers, along with parental supervision, to avoid harm.
Perrigo gained the daily-use pill first through its $2.13 billion acquisition of Paris-based HRA Pharma in 2021.
Persons:
Roe, Wade, Xavier Becerra, Opill, Jeffrey Singer, Perrigo, Manas Mishra, Sriparna Roy, Arun Koyyur
Organizations:
U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Perrigo, Human Services, Cato Institute, FDA, Catholic Bioethics Center, HRA Pharma, Thomson
Locations:
U.S, Paris, Bengaluru