The Population Council congratulates the team behind the Opill development for achieving Food & Drug Administration approval of Opill, a progestin-only oral contraceptive, for over-the-counter (OTC) access in the United States. The demonstrated efficacy and safety of progestin-only pills suggests a clear and positive benefit–risk ratio to provide individuals at risk of pregnancy with this additional OTC option to manage their reproductive health and fertility.
This important approval, coming on the heels of a unanimous Advisory Committee vote to support OTC access, is another important step in supporting individuals and families in making their own decisions about whether and how many children they wish to have. Over-the-counter access will make the oral contraceptive available to hundreds of thousands of people in the United States who might otherwise face barriers to using a highly effective contraceptive option.