ROCKVILLE, Md., July 31 (UPI) -- Barr's emergency contraceptive Plan B -- or the "morning after pill" -- appears finally poised to move to over-the-counter sales.
According to a report Monday on CNBC, the generic-drug company was scheduled to meet with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to implement the controversial switch of Plan B from prescription use only to availability in drugstores for women to use as protection against pregnancy following unprotected sex.
According to the report, the FDA was prepared to allow Barr to sell the contraceptive in drugstores for women aged 18 and older, although the company had initially proposed allowing sales to women aged 16 and older.
The FDA had also considered allowing OTC sales of Plan B for women as young as 17, the report said.
The news comes one day before Senate hearings get under way on the confirmation of Andrew von Eschenbach as the new FDA commissioner.
The controversy over OTC sales of Plan B has dogged the FDA for more than two years, when Barr first applied for the switch. Agency officials claimed they were concerned about the safe use of the contraceptive in young girls, but critics accused the agency of bowing to conservative political forces that oppose sales of Plan B in drugstores.
Plan B effectively protects against pregnancy for up to 72 hours after unprotected sex but is most effective in the initial post-exposure hours.
