Staff Reports
The march towards making birth control easily accessible to anyone with a couple of bucks in their pocket continues to steamroll ahead, as the pharmaceutical giant Perrigo has started shipping out its progestin-only birth control pill, Opill, to retailers and pharmacies across the U.S. Excuse me, but when did walking into a pharmacy and picking up a pregnancy prevention pill become as easy as grabbing a candy bar at the checkout counter?
Over-the-counter birth control will be on shelves in late March https://t.co/UPDKa5xZpj https://t.co/UPDKa5xZpj
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) March 5, 2024
The FDA approved the over-the-counter use of Opill back in July 2023, so it’s no surprise that these little pills are poised to infiltrate the market as early as late March. This decision totally bypasses the necessity of a doctor’s prescription, essentially cutting out the middleman from the pregnancy prevention process. Who needs a doctor’s guidance anyways?
In unrelated news, Perrigo’s executive vice president, Triona Schmelter, went on what some might call a victory lap, championing the OTC availability of Opill as a “historic moment.” Yes, because what women really need is to make potentially life-altering decisions without the pesky interference of a medical professional.
Now, here’s where things take a turn for the comically absurd: a group named the Free the Pill Coalition demanded that Perrigro slap a price tag of no more than $15 on a three-month supply of Opill. Seriously, as if they expect a revolutionary new product to be practically given away like free samples at the grocery store. Perrigro had the audacity to suggest a retail price of $19.99 for a one-month supply and $49.99 for a three-month supply. How generous of them, right?
If you’re thinking that shelling out hard-earned cash for Opill is going to put a dent in your wallet, think again. Perrigro is pushing a cost-assistance program to help out those low-income, uninsured individuals who can’t afford to fork over their dough for these pills. In other words, the people who can’t afford birth control in the first place will now have access to it for next to nothing. What a time to be alive.
