1st over-the-counter birth control pill approved in United States

While many countries already allow the sale of contraceptive pills over the counter, this development in the United States comes at a time when reproductive rights are facing renewed challenges from conservatives, with abortion being banned in several states.

The US drug regulator has granted approval for the first over-the-counter birth control pill in the country, in a move that significantly expands access to contraception for women. The announcement was made on Thursday, and the medication, called Opill, is expected to be available in pharmacies, supermarkets, and online starting early next year, according to Perrigo, the manufacturer.

While many countries already allow the sale of contraceptive pills over the counter, this development in the United States comes at a time when reproductive rights are facing renewed challenges from conservatives, with abortion being banned in several states.

"Today's approval marks the first time a nonprescription daily oral contraceptive will be an available option for millions of people in the United States," said Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research in a statement.

"When used as directed, daily oral contraception is safe and is expected to be more effective than currently available nonprescription contraceptive methods in preventing unintended pregnancy."

According to the FDA, 6.1 million of the country's annual pregnancies are unplanned. The FDA stated that enabling women to obtain the progestin-only daily contraceptive pill without first seeing a doctor "may help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and their potential adverse effects."

The medication was created by the recently purchased by Perrigo pharmaceutical business HRA Pharma and was already approved for prescription use in the US for a number of years.