Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Monday it was resuming its review of whether the "morning after" anti-contraception pill can be sold without a doctor's prescription.
The review had been deferred since last summer amid a conservatives' outcry against the contraceptive's widespread use.
The FDA said in a statement it has agreed to meet with the pill's maker "immediately" and expected that "the process can be wrapped up in a matter of weeks."
"This decision is the result of a thoughtful and comprehensive scientific and public policy process undertaken by the agency" the FDA statement said.
The drug, which also goes by the name "Plan B" is produced by Duramed, a subsidiary of Barr Pharmaceuticals.
The pill currently is sold to women aged 18 and older with a doctor's prescription, but Barr argues that its product is safe enough to be sold over the counter in the United States.
The pill is seen by some medical experts as a safe and effective means of contraception if taken within 72 hours of sex. Its use was authorized in the United States in 1999.
In 2003, the FDA recommended that the pill be made available without a prescription, but then rescinded its decision following an outcry from Christian conservatives, who view the termination of any pregnancy -- even a few days after conception -- as abortion.
After years of legal battles, the world's number one retailer Wal-Mart decided last March that the Plan B pill could be sold in most of its pharmacies -- a major breakthrough for the medication's acceptance in the United States.
However, Wal-Mart allows pharmacists who object on moral grounds not to fill Plan B prescriptions, but instead refer customers to another drug store.
fc/zak/sg
US-society-health-women-contraception
AFP 311811 GMT 07 06
COPYRIGHT 2006 Agence France-Presse. All rights reserved.
