FDA Allows Access to Plan B to 15 Year Olds
April 30th, 2013 // 11:18 pm @ jmpickett
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A year after the agency was mandated by the Obama administration to reject its intent to make the Plan B contraceptive available to all women of all ages with no prescription required, FDA has now approved it for women 15 and older. Until this time, Plan B only was an option to women 17 and older without a prescription.
This latest decision came about a month after a US federal court blasted the administration for not letting the agency approve Plan B to be provided more widely to more women. The White House did not let FDA do this before the election. Critics said that the administration was trying to mollify conservatives and putting the election before science. Some think that Plan B does not allow the fertilized egg to lodge in the womb. Some people equate the pill with an abortion, which is problematic for some people in the country.
A recent federal court ruling stated that this pill should be an option to women in all age groups, and no prescription should be required. The decision also stated that there should be no age restrictions, and the judge on the case stated the Obama administration acted in poor faith and caused delays.
Still, FDA has maintained that this decision this week was because of a request from Teva Pharmaceuticals right after the 2011 decision to not loosen the distribution of the pill.
However, the judge on this case stated that FDA has to remove restrictions within 30 days so what is going to happen next is not clear.
At this time, to ensure that girls who are not 15 cannot buy Plan B, the label will state that it is not for sale to anyone under 15. Proof of age labels also are on the box. Plan B also will have a product code that will require cashiers to verify age.
Teva also is going to have a security tag in the box to reduce chance of theft. Teva also will make it available in retail stores that have a pharmacy onsite. But it will be available when the entire store is open, not just when the pharmacy is open.
