The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has made a decision allowing generic versions of the most popular form of emergency contraceptive pills Plan B to be sold without age restrictions.
Previously, only women aged 17 and older were allowed to purchase generic versions of the drug. With that restriction lifted, women of all ages can now choose between the original Plan B and the generic version. The drug prevents most pregnancies if taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex for women weighing less than 165 pounds.
The restrictions were imposed as part of an exclusivity agreement given to Plan B's original maker Teva Pharmaceuticals. Under the agreement, Teva Pharmaceuticals was allowed to be the only drug producer to sell the pill over the counter and without age requirements.
The FDA approved over-the-counter availability of Plan B last summer. They gave Teva exclusivity because the company had conducted more research on how the drug influenced teenage girls than those who made generic equivalents.
In an 11-page letter sent to Teva's rivals, the FDA said that the companies' rules were "too broad." Since the generic version would be cheaper, it was determined that the price difference could create an accessibility problem for women who need birth control. This was seen as especially being the case with teenagers, who do not always have access to money. According to NPR, the cost difference between Plan B One-Step and a generic version is over 10 dollars.
The FDA's only stipulation now is that generic forms of Plan B say they are intended for "women 17 years of age or older." No ID check is required.
The accessibility of Plan B has been debated for more than a decade. Reproductive health advocates celebrated the FDA's decision.
"This is a significant leap forward in obtaining full, over-the-counter status for emergency contraception, and we commend the FDA for this decision," said Jessica Arons, president and CEO of the Reproductive Health Technologies Project, in a statement. "EC can be used safely and effectively by people of all ages and it should be available without unnecessary and arbitrary barriers."
"We hope and expect that all manufacturers of generic EC products will submit applications with the suggested labeling to the FDA immediatley," she added. "The sooner generic EC becomes available without point-of-sale restrictions, the sooner people will be able to purchase a more affordable, time-sensitive, back-up birth control option without delay."
