FDA to Consider Over-Counter Sale of Morning-After Pill

The government agency will weigh whether to let the drug (Plan B) be sold over the counter—a move that conservative forces, inside the government and out, have long objected to as part of their proxy battle on abortion.
This may be happening only because two senators have been blocking the appointment of the FDA’s new head until the agency makes a decision on the drug.

N.Y. Times:

The Food and Drug Administration said today it is considering approval of the morning-after pill for sale without a prescription, a surprise move on an issue that has ensnared the agency in debate for years.

Discussions between the government and Barr Laboratories, which manufactures the drug, known as Plan B, are set to begin immediately and could be completed “in a matter of weeks,” the agency said in a statement.

The move could end a standoff between the Bush administration and Democrats on Capitol Hill.

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