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Good News in Contraceptives

By zuzu on 8.29.2006

That pill price hike? Rolled back. Though by how much, they’re not saying.

Teenage Vermonsters will be able to get Plan B over the counter thanks to a state law. The law originally provided for over-the-counter sales for all women just in case the FDA dragged its feet again, but now only applies to women under 18. Pharmacists must be specially trained to take medical histories in order to dispense according to the law, which removes a lot of the phony objections raised about allowing OTC sales in the first place.

Both via Feministing.

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Author: zuzu has written 1119 posts for this blog.

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8 Responses

  1. 1
    Raznor 8.29.2006 at 7:38 pm |

    I’ve never heard the term “Vermonster” before. I had to read that sentence three times before understanding it. Cute.

    But yeah, nice to see good reproductive rights news every once in a while.

  2. 2
    Casey 8.29.2006 at 7:39 pm |

    Hooray!

  3. 3
    Kaethe 8.29.2006 at 8:26 pm |

    I’m asking around: does anyone know if there is any good reason why I shouldn’t litter the local schools with cards offering Plan Bto minors. I don’t know that I can afford it, I’m just wondering about the legality.

  4. 4
    Car 8.29.2006 at 8:48 pm |

    What a nice article. I was especially impressed with this part:

    “Plan B is different from the abortion pill, RU-486. RU-486, taken in conjunction with another drug, causes an abortion; Plan B prevents a pregnancy from happening. If a woman already is pregnant, Plan B has no effect.”

    Simple, direct, to the point, correct. Couldn’t ask more from a journalist. Much better than most of what I’ve seen in the large national news outlets by far.

  5. 5
    Nomie 8.29.2006 at 9:35 pm |

    Raznor – Ben & Jerry’s has a sundae called the Vermonster in their stores. It’s a plastic tub with 20 scoops of ice cream and a bunch of toppings. The sort of thing an entire baseball team gets after a winning game.

    Anyway, topic: awesome! I like when the state expresses its progressive side.

  6. 6
    geoduck2 8.29.2006 at 9:55 pm |

    Yea for Vermont.

    Washington state also allows for over the counter plan B. I don’t know if there is a age limit for this law – but it would be interesting to find out.

    actually, until the FDA put this age limit on Plan B, the idea of an age limit never occured to me.

  7. 7
    Sophist 8.30.2006 at 2:49 am |

    I’m asking around: does anyone know if there is any good reason why I shouldn’t litter the local schools with cards offering Plan Bto minors. I don’t know that I can afford it, I’m just wondering about the legality.

    I second the request. What are the legal ramifications of acting as an intermediary in the procurement of Plan B for a minor?

  8. 8
    raging red 8.30.2006 at 9:04 am |

    Re: how much they rolled back prices:

    The top supplier of birth-control pills to family planning clinics in West Virginia and across the country slashed the price of its products Tuesday, less than a week after West Virginia bought more expensive generic versions.

    The drug company Ortho-McNeil will charge $3.20 for 30-day supplies of the five pills it offers public health services, more than 90 percent less than the previous cost.

    The price plummet came after West Virginia Family Planning ordered a three-month supply of generic birth control pills last Thursday that ranged from $1.72 to $14.21 for a 30-day supply. A state agency, Family Planning doles out contraceptive pills and patches to independent clinics across the state, which provide them to poor men and women for free.

    “I think it’s good news overall, but it’s a little late for us,” said Denise Smith, director of Family Planning. She will consider the new prices when Family Planning looks into buying more pills in about six weeks, she said.

    In a written statement, Ortho-McNeil cited the reliance of family planning clinics on its products as the reasons for the latest price rollback.

    And let’s hear it for West Virginia!

    DeSarno [president of the Washington D.C.-based National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association] credited the work of public health advocates — especially in West Virginia — and repeated news stories drawing attention to the hike for the price rollback.

    Staff for Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., asked Ortho-McNeil to reconsider the price hike, said the state’s acting Pharmaceutical Advocate Shana Phares.

    (Sorry, when you’re from WV, you have to latch onto any scrap of positive news about the state.)

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