FDA Approves First Over-the-Counter Birth-Control Pill

The Food and Drug Administration approved the first over-the-counter birth-control pill, Opill, significantly expanding access to contraception among women across the U.S.

The FDA on Thursday followed the advice of expert advisers who recommended in May that the agency grant nonprescription approval to the pill despite questions over some data on its proper use. Medical societies and advocacy groups have called for years for birth control to be available over the counter as it is in countries including South Korea and Greece. The push intensified last year after the Supreme Court eliminated the constitutional right to an abortion, leaving decisions on abortion’s legality to the states.