FDA Approves Single-Pill Version of Plan B

The Food and Drug Administration today approved a single-pill version of the emergency contraceptive and so-called “morning after” pill Plan B.

Plan B reduces the change of pregnancy when taken three days or less after unprotected sex or the failure of condoms or other contraceptives. It does not work if a woman is already pregnant and it will not end an existing pregnancy.

Currently, Plan B consists of two pills, but Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. said today that Plan B One-Step, a single-dose treatment, should be available in pharmacies by mid-August.

In April, the FDA ruled that Plan B would be available to girls age 17 and younger without prescriptions. The agency had previously required minors to have prescriptions before receiving the medication while giving older women access to the drug over the counter, without prescriptions.

However, the single-dose version of Plan B will still be available over the counter to consumers 18 and older, while women 17 and younger will still have to have a prescription to obtain a prescription, Teva said.

Earlier this month, a generic form of Plan B was approved by the FDA. The drug, levonorgestrel, is available in 0.75 mg. tablets made by Watson Laboratories Inc. of Corona, Ca.

Some healthcare advocates called the approval of a single-dose Plan B a “milestone” in women’s health.

“Healthcare providers and women’s advocates have been eager for a one-pill emergency contraceptive for years and are happy to see it finally come to fruition,” said Kelli Conlin, president of the National Institute for Reproductive Health, according to a HealthDay report.

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