Drugmaker Asks FDA , to Approve Over-The-Counter , Birth Control Pill.<br />On July 11, a French pharmaceutical company sought <br />regulatory approval to sell an over-the-counter <br />birth control pill in the United States.<br />NBC reports that HRA Pharma's application <br />comes amid legal and political battles <br />regarding women's reproductive health.<br />However, the company said the timing for <br />its application was unrelated to the Supreme Court's <br />recent decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.<br />According to NBC, hormone based birth <br />control has long been the most widely <br />used form of birth control in the U.S. .<br />Since the 1960s, birth control has required <br />a prescription and a medical screening for <br />conditions that raise the risk of blood clots.<br />The French drugmaker argues that years of research suggest that women can safely screen themselves for those conditions and use the pill effectively.<br />For a product that has been available <br />for the last 50 years, that has been <br />used safely by millions of women, <br />we thought it was time <br />to make it more available, Frederique Welgryn, <br />HRA’s chief strategy officer, <br />via 'The Guardian'.<br />NBC reports that FDA approval <br />could come as soon as next year. .<br />Reproductive rights advocates have reportedly been pushing for the approval of more over-the-counter contraceptives following the Roe v. Wade decision . .<br />Reproductive rights advocates have reportedly been pushing for the approval of more over-the-counter contraceptives following the Roe v. Wade decision . .<br />Now, the FDA likely faces intense political <br />scrutiny as it weighs a potentially <br />precedent-setting decision
