First OTC birth control pill to be available at retailers, pharmacies soon

Perrigo’s Opill, the first non-prescription birth control pill approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States, is expected to be available at major retailers and pharmacies nationwide by about the end of  March or early April, per an NBC report. 

In July, the FDA approved the oral contraceptive, which contains hormone and progestin and is taken daily, for over-the-counter sales. Opill is an older class of contraceptive, sometimes called minipills, 

The NBC report noted that major medical organizations, including the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, have been pushing for years for an over-the-counter birth control pill. Such options are already in more than 100 other countries, according to Free the Pill, an advocacy group.

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“We are excited to learn that Opill is now available for shipping and look forward to this over-the-counter contraception soon becoming available for purchase by people in need of oral hormonal birth control,” Verda Hicks, president of ACOG said in a statement, per the NBC report.

The cost of a one-month supply will be $19.99 and a three-month supply will be $49.99. A six-month supply will be available to purchase online for $89.99. Opill will be available to preorder as early as this week, the report noted.