Drugmaker Asks FDA , to Approve Over-The-Counter , Birth Control Pill.
On July 11, a French pharmaceutical company sought regulatory approval to sell an over-the-counter birth control pill in the United States.
NBC reports that HRA Pharma's application comes amid legal and political battles regarding women's reproductive health.
However, the company said the timing for its application was unrelated to the Supreme Court's recent decision to overturn Roe v.
Wade.
According to NBC, hormone based birth control has long been the most widely used form of birth control in the U.S. .
Since the 1960s, birth control has required a prescription and a medical screening for conditions that raise the risk of blood clots.
The French drugmaker argues that years of research suggest that women can safely screen themselves for those conditions and use the pill effectively.
For a product that has been available for the last 50 years, that has been used safely by millions of women, we thought it was time to make it more available, Frederique Welgryn, HRA’s chief strategy officer, via 'The Guardian'.
NBC reports that FDA approval could come as soon as next year.
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Reproductive rights advocates have reportedly been pushing for the approval of more over-the-counter contraceptives following the Roe v.
Wade decision .
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Reproductive rights advocates have reportedly been pushing for the approval of more over-the-counter contraceptives following the Roe v.
Wade decision .
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Now, the FDA likely faces intense political scrutiny as it weighs a potentially precedent-setting decision
