Teva’s Plan B Wins Approval for Over-the-Counter Sales

[xchrom]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-30/teva-s-plan-b-wins-approval-for-over-the-counter-sales.html

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (TEVA) won U.S. approval to sell the Plan B One-Step emergency contraceptive without a prescription on pharmacy shelves to girls as young as age 15.

The Food and Drug Administration cleared Petach Tikva, Israel-based Teva to expand access of its so-called morning- after pill after previously denying the company’s request to make it available to all females of reproductive ages, the agency said today in a statement. A federal judge on April 5 ordered the FDA to make emergency contraception available nationwide without limits within 30 days.

The pill and its generic copies have been kept behind drug store counters and sold without a prescription to women 17 and older. Government statistics show that more women are turning to emergency contraception, even as reproductive rights become embroiled in controversy after the 2010 Affordable Care Act required some employers to pay for preventive services.

“This is an important step forward,” Planned Parenthood, a health-care provider and advocacy group for reproductive rights, said in a statement. “This decision will eliminate some of the biggest barriers and hurdles that women face in getting emergency contraception when they need it.”

[RedstDem]

1. about fking time

Took ten years, but better late than never