A birth control pill that was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for prescription use 50 years ago will now be available for over-the-counter purchase next year.
Opill, or the “mini pill,” will be the first of its kind in the United States approved for usage without a prescription. The approval is expected to make access easier and reduce the risk of unintended pregnancies, according to NBC News.
Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni, the director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a news release, “When used as directed, daily oral contraception is safe and is expected to be more effective than currently available nonprescription contraceptive methods in preventing unintended pregnancy.”
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