Let’s Talk About Sex: College Vending Machine Dispenses Morning After Pill, FDA Increases Access to Generic Brand

Plan B, coming to a candy aisle near you

03.03.2014 | News | Jerome Hudson |

Last month we learned that students at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania could now purchase Plan B for $25 via campus vending machines. Now, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) says it is moving forward with plans to increase access to the generic version of the emergency birth control pill.

Last July, a federal court ordered the FDA to lift the age restriction on Plan B. That decision also came with a three-year ban on further sales of any generic brand of Plan B. Pressure groups argued that blocking the distribution of generic Plan B brands, would have a negative affect on women’s health.

Now the FDA has reversed it’s earlier position. NPR reports:

In an 11-page letter to those generic competitors sent earlier this week, Kathleen Uhl, acting director of the FDA’s Office of Generic Drugs, wrote that Teva’s contention that competitors should not be allowed to sell their products over the counter without age restrictions “is too broad.”

In something of a compromise, the FDA now says the generic versions of the product must still say on their labels that they are intended for “women 17 years of age or older,” but they may be sold directly from retail shelves without a requirement to produce proof of age.

It won’t be long before we see the morning after pill on the candy aisle at your local grocery store.

Jerome Hudson

Managing Editor

Jerome Hudson has written for numerous national outlets, including The Hill, National Review, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and was recognized as one of Florida’s emerging stars, having been included in the list “25 Under 30: Florida’s Rising Young Political Class.” Hudson is a Savannah, Ga. native who currently resides in Florida.

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