Two Small Pharma Firms Join The Struggle To Give Women Access to OTC Birth Control Pills

Jeffrey A. SingerTheNew York Timesreports today that two small oral contraceptive makers, Cadence and HRA Pharma, have been seeking to make their birth control pills over ‐​the‐​counter since 2016. The Food and Drug Administration has taken five years “dialoguing” with the pharmaceutical firms but has yet to give them “clearance” to formally apply for the switch. TheTimes article cites an FDA spokesperson as saying the agency hopes to reach a decision within 10 months of the companies submitting a formal application.As I have writtenhere, birth control pills are available over ‐​the‐​counter in over102 countries. That includes countries like communist China and Cuba. The U.S. joins Saudi Arabia and most Western European countries in denying women access to birth control pills without a permission slip from another autonomous adult, i.e., a licensed health care practitioner.This is not the first time the FDA has blocked or delayed access to safe and necessary drugs. These drugs range from non ‐​steroidal anti‐​inflammatory agents like ibuprofen to non‐​sedating antihistamines likeClaritin (safer than over ‐​the‐​counter alternatives like Benadryl).The FDA has been infringing on the fundamental andsacred right to self ‐​medicate since at least 1951, when the Durham‐​Humphrey Amendment to the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938 was enacted. Prior to that time, the manufacturers could decide whether the...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs