The morning after pill again makes headlines as the manufacturer of the drug, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, has asked the Food and Drug Administration to allow sale of the drug to girls under the age of 17. Currently, women 17 and older can purchase Plan B One Step if they present identification. A doctor’s note is required for sales to younger girls.
Plan B is made of the same chemicals in the birth control pill but in higher doses. Plan B must be taken within three days to be effective. A newer drug manufactured by Watson Pharmaceuticals and HRA Pharma, called ella, has recently been approved by the FDA. Ella has proven effective for up to five days, but requires a doctor’s approval.
Generic alternatives to Plan B will be on the market soon. Advocates of allowing the drug for use by younger girls say it will help reduce unwanted pregnancies and abortions. They say girls need to access the drug quickly and easily for it to be effective. Those opposed to selling the drug to younger girls say it will lead to promiscuity and possibly sexual abuse.
Both women’s groups and medical groups have fought for wider access to Plan B since 2001. The drug met strong opposition during the Bush administration. It was approved by the FDA in 1999. The drug has been the focus of a number of lawsuits since its legalization.
Teva offered the FDA new information in February 2011 on the use of Plan B in girls age 11-16. Susan Wood, former head of the FDA Office of Women’s Health, resigned from the FDA saying they had plenty of information to rule on Plan B and were holding out for political, rather than medical, reasons.
Teva is asking the FDA to remove age limits for sales of Plan B. Sales of Plan B were up in 2010, according to a Reuters report. Teva’s Chief Executive Shlomo Yanai would not verify sales figures. Teva acquired Plan B in 2008.