FDA near deal on ‘morning-after’ pill
- Aug 11, 2006 - 2
The Food and Drug Administration appears to be prepared to allow an emergency contraceptive with abortion-causing qualities to be sold over the counter.
The federal regulatory agency announced July 31 it is working with Duramed, a subsidiary of Barr Pharmaceuticals, toward potential approval of Plan B on a non-prescription basis for women 18 years of age and older. Barr previously had asked the FDA to approve over-the-counter sale of Plan B, which also is known as a “morning-after” pill, to females 16 and older.
Barr would have to resubmit its request to comply with the FDA’s 18-and-over proposal. Barr, however, has not decided if it will go along with that offer, according to Bloomberg News.
Plan B, as well as another “morning-after” pill known as Preven, is basically a heavier dose of birth control pills. Under the regimen, a woman takes two pills within 72 hours of sexual intercourse and another dose 12 hours later. The “morning-after” pill works to restrict ovulation in a woman. It also can act after conception, causing an abortion by blocking implantation of a tiny embryo in the uterine wall.
Plan B and Preven are now available only with a prescription.
“If the conversations go smoothly and everyone works expeditiously through this, we think this is something that could be wrapped up in a matter of weeks, not months,” a FDA official told Reuters News Service.
The FDA postponed last August a decision on Barr’s request to sell Plan B over the counter. In May 2004, the agency rejected Barr’s appeal for over-the-counter sales, citing a lack of evidence about the pill’s effect on girls 16 and younger. It gave the company an option of reapplying for over-the-counter sales for females 16 and older and prescription sales for girls 15 and younger. Barr resubmitted its request under those guidelines.
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1 On Aug 15th, 2006, at 5:13am, Shawn wrote:
Growing up I never gave this pill much thought as being a form of abortion until my fiance made me promise that I never use this pill. I had always had friends that used it and it just seemed ok. I then felt the need to research and ask the Lord if it was wrong…then the Lord just reached out and slapped me to wake me up and told me that if I had to ask Him if it were a sin, then it is! This pill is just murder at the earliest stage.
2 On Nov 5th, 2006, at 7:52pm, Kristen wrote:
This comment in the article is a flat out lie!!!
“It also can act after conception, causing an abortion by blocking implantation of a tiny embryo in the uterine wall”.
Plan B PREVENTS CONCEPTION-I understand science is not your strong point, but don’t lie to readers. Lying is also unchristian, plus this makes the journalist look very uneducated.