By Laura Bellis
The Food and Drug Administration has approved Opil, the first over-the-counter progestin-only, estrogen-free drug. What this means in terms of accessing contraception and helping women voluntarily and healthy births cannot be overemphasized.
Opil has been available by prescription for over 50 years and has a proven track record of safety and efficacy. With normal use he is 93% effective. It is expected to hit stores in early 2024. The availability of daily contraceptives in retail stores alongside condoms and emergency contraceptives is truly transformative.
This includes not having health insurance, being in a domestic violence situation, not being able to safely access your own or your partner’s insurance, having limited transportation, or living far from a health center. It can make a big difference for people facing access barriers.
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Given the acute shortage of gynecologists statewide, the impact on Oklahoma, especially rural Oklahoma, is significant. Oklahoma has about 1 OB/GYN per 10,000 patients, while most states have 2.68 him per 10,000. 45 of the 77 counties do not have an obstetrician-gynecologist.
Oklahoma’s medical schools face significant challenges in recruiting obstetrics and gynecology residency programs, with only five counties in Oklahoma not considered primary health professional shortage areas.
Opill’s FDA approval has known and potential limitations, which are important to be aware of. The company behind Opil has said it will work to make the pill affordable and over-the-counter, and the Biden administration is working to ensure health insurance covers over-the-counter contraceptives. But it is likely still out of reach for many, especially those without insurance.
Since the morning-after pill was approved for over-the-counter sales, the costs at retail sites have become exorbitant. My nonprofit, the Take Control Initiative, buys Morning After his pills for $6 a piece for free throughout Tulsa County, but in retail stores he sells them for $50. often Similar retail price increases are likely to occur for over-the-counter daily contraceptives.
There are many birth control methods other than the pill. For some people, these other methods may be better suited, and long-acting methods such as arm implants and intrauterine devices are certainly more effective (99%) in contraception. It’s important that everyone has access to all the ways, and he can’t just have one easier way to meet everyone’s needs.
That’s why TCI has partnered with over 22 local health centers to offer all methods free of charge.
Birth control is a high-impact upstream solution that prevents abortions and premature births and improves infant mortality, healthy births and birth spacing during the highest-earning period of a woman’s life. Given how much of a difference this resource can make to health and economic outcomes, we must continue to expand access across Oklahoma.
Two bills have been tabled in Congress this week aimed at allowing pharmacists to prescribe birth control pills. The effort has largely been successful and should definitely be revived at the next Congress. A pharmacist’s prescribing authority would not only expand access to multiple contraceptive methods, but also improve the overall health of resource-poor communities, especially rural areas.
With barriers to reproductive health care higher than at any time in recent history, maternal mortality rates rising high, and a desert of contraceptives and maternity care abounding, the FDA’s approval of an over-the-counter oral contraceptive is reproductive. • A real bright spot in the promotion of healthcare adoption. women’s health.
Laura Bellis is executive director of the Take Control Initiative and a Tulsa City Council representative representing District 4.
