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FDA approves first nonprescription daily oral contraceptive

fda.gov

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Re: FDA approves first nonprescription daily oral contraceptive

#71

Post by NoZebra120vClip »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #23
apsec112 wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The risks of pregnancy are much worse! Pregnancy is really tough and can lead to eleventy zillion health complications

Also, ~40% of children born into poverty remain in poverty [1], and it costs $310k per child from 0-18 (excluding daycare and college costs) [2]. Broadly accessible reproductive healthcare is about as impactful as vaccines from a value delivered for the cost perspective. You want to avoid as many both unintended and unwanted pregnancies as possible (which ["unintended"] stands at about half of all US [3] and global […

[flagged]

Re: FDA approves first nonprescription daily oral contraceptive

#72

Post by giantg2 »

dashundchen wrote: post #44
giantg2 wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Was there really any gatekeeping going on for this in the first place? Seems more like just about everyone who asks recieves it.

Yes. I have had several friends who saw providers at a local Catholic hospital system and had those providers refuse to prescribe birth control.

Ok, I can see that case. Why not use the online services for $20/visit then?

Re: FDA approves first nonprescription daily oral contraceptive

#73

Post by rvcdbn »

hanniabu wrote: post #56

This is great, now it can easily be shipped across state lines and given to women that can't access it because the state deemed it illegal

do you know of any states where it isn’t legal? google searching lead me to this: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/24/us/birth-control-plan-b-r... which seems to suggest that it’s legal everywhere

Re: FDA approves first nonprescription daily oral contraceptive

#74

Post by mustacheemperor »

elijaht wrote: post #51
candiddevmike wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a bit more nuance here. There is certainly a political angle, but there is a non zero risk with taking something like this that should be discussed with a doctor first, IMO. Bypassing a doctor does open up access, but there may be risks, especially if folks don't take the medicine correctly.

A lot of that ends up being bureaucratic wastes of time though. My partner was on birth control for years and had to jump through so many hoops - Had to go to yearly appointments to continue receiving it - Could not pick up more than a month at a time, which created logistical issues since they HAD to take it daily - Had to get the prescription renewed every three months or so, which often led to delays filling it It…

You are the first commenter to relate anything like even a secondhand real life experience with oral birth control.

This thread (edit: at the time I am posting this) is full of men with little real knowledge of this drug insisting on why it’s reasonable it took 50 years for this to be available OTC. I don’t think the contents of their explanations are likely to be accurate, but I think they still explain why it took 50 years to be approved.

Re: FDA approves first nonprescription daily oral contraceptive

#76

Post by NateEag »

This reminded me to look up Vasalgel again (a single-application, non-hormonal, long-lasting, reversible male contraceptive that is unfortunately not yet commercially available), and I see that it seems to have taken a meaningful step forward:

https://www.parsemus.org/humanhealth/male-contraceptive-rese...

Apparently a company's moving forward with an attempt to productize it: https://www.planaformen.com/

With an option like that in the wings, and not yet shown to have any ill effects in men so far, it's hard not to cynically think that hormonal birth control is pushed forward because a monthly or daily pill is far more profitable than a once-in-a-decade injection / flushing.

Re: FDA approves first nonprescription daily oral contraceptive

#77

Post by mynameisvlad »

giantg2 wrote: post #40
not_the_fda wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Its more about needing the Dr appointment. A Dr appointment isn't cheap if you are poor and lack insurance, and many places have wait time of a year to get an appointment.

You can get birth control from places that don't require insurance like MinuteClinics and online for a cost of about $20 for the visit. I'm pretty sure the online option does not have long wait times.

In some states in the US, sure. But that requires you to both be in a state that is served by the service, know that it exists and is available, and still pay out of pocket.

Availability and discovery are absolutely massive to health services. Most people don't know about their options, and many more don't even have the option in the first place.

Having this be OTC is a massive step in that regard.

Re: FDA approves first nonprescription daily oral contraceptive

#78

Post by LostLocalMan »

giantg2 wrote: post #68
LostLocalMan wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes there is a lot of gatekeeping happening across the board. From my wife's experience living just outside of Portland Oregon: - Prescription has been cancelled twice for no real reason. - Pharmacists have refused to give more than one month at a time more than once. - Even if everyone is on board and not hostile she's only able to get a few months at a time so she has to do this multiple times a year. I can't imagi…

I've had some prescription issue for other meds as well. Usually an issue of the insurance or pharmacy, not a political motive. They don't like to give long term supplies given the expiration is 1 year from manufacture.

At least once she's been lectured about starting a family by pharmacists when trying to pick up her prescription which caused us to switch to a different pharmacy.

It's possible it's all imagined, but I don't really understand why a pharmacist would only give one month when the prescription is for multiple months, or why the prescription can't be for longer as to require less doctors visits / bills. We certainly haven't had the same experience picking up other prescriptions.

Re: FDA approves first nonprescription daily oral contraceptive

#79

Post by giantg2 »

WesternWind wrote: post #65
willcipriano wrote: post #6

> The contraceptive efficacy of norgestrel was established with the original approval for prescription use in 1973. HRA Pharma applied to switch norgestrel from a prescription to an over-the-counter product. For approval of a product for use in the nonprescription setting, the FDA requires that the applicant demonstrate that the product can be used by consumers safely and effectively, relying only on the nonprescript…

The same people who hate and politicize abortion also usually hate and politicize contraceptives. I don't know if that had an impact in the choice to seek approval or not, but I wouldn't be surprised. If it looks like Trump might win the electoral college and the Dems might lose Congress, it might not be the worst thing to have stocked up on.

It expires 1 year from manufacturer, so stockpiling isn't really a viable option.

Re: FDA approves first nonprescription daily oral contraceptive

#80

Post by phone8675309 »

giantg2 wrote: post #75
hanniabu wrote: post #56

This is great, now it can easily be shipped across state lines and given to women that can't access it because the state deemed it illegal

Which states have deemed it illegal?

None yet, but you have to have your head buried in the sand to think that at least a few won't make it illegal in the next decade.
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