Obama administration refuses to relax Plan B

[__Kratos__]

The federal government Wednesday rejected a request to let young teenage girls buy the controversial morning-after pill Plan B directly off drugstore and supermarket shelves without a prescription.

In a rare public split among federal health officials, the Health and Human Services Department overruled a decision by the Food and Drug Administration to make the drug available to anyone of any age without a restriction.

In a statement, FDA Administrator Margaret A. Hamburg said she had decided the medication could be used safely by girls and women of all ages. But she added that Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius had rejected the move.

“I agree ... there is adequate and reasonable, well-supported, and science-based evidence that Plan B One-Step is safe and effective and should be approved for nonprescription use for all females of child-bearing potential,” Hamburg said.

“However, this morning I received a memorandum from the Secretary of Health and Human Services invoking her authority under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to execute its provisions and stating that she does not agree with the Agency’s decision to allow the marketing of Plan B One-Step nonprescription for all females of child-bearing potential,” she said.

More of the article here: Source

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Amazing how they let politics trump science even in the face of people's own health. It's like the government doesn't think you own your own body.

[questionmark]

I am always amazed that in a country as sex obsessed as the US, where you cannot even sell a toilet stone without ample exhibition of slippery poses, is so unwilling to take steps to avoid the unwanted consequences of sex, like teenage pregnancies and STDs.

[conspiracybeliever]

I had heard it was the equivalent of an abortion too. If that's the case I don't think it should be sold over the counter. Especially to 11 year olds. I mean too many abortions could cause major issues I would think.

[questionmark]

I had heard it was the equivalent of an abortion too. If that's the case I don't think it should be sold over the counter. Especially to 11 year olds. I mean too many abortions could cause major issues I would think.

If you are aware of a pregnancy quite so, but this is just another piece of the puzzle of inattentiveness when it comes to the consequences of sex. The pill after is not equal to RU 486, that you take to terminate a pregnancy but a pill to avoid getting pregnant despite of unprotected sex. It has to be taken within hours after the deed, after pregnancy it becomes useless.

[conspiracybeliever]

If you are aware of a pregnancy quite so, but this is just another piece of the puzzle of inattentiveness when it comes to the consequences of sex. The pill after is not equal to RU 486, that you take to terminate a pregnancy but a pill to avoid getting pregnant despite of unprotected sex. It has to be taken within hours after the deed, after pregnancy it becomes useless.

That actually sounds better than birth control pills then. I think one of the problems with teenage pregnancy is girls forgetting to take the pill.

[questionmark]

That actually sounds better than birth control pills then. I think one of the problems with teenage pregnancy is girls forgetting to take the pill.

It really is not, which is why it is only recommended in emergencies. The normal pill emulates the pregnancy cycle over 27 days avoiding further pregnancies, the pill after does it in form of a sudden crash on a single day. Taking the pill after continuously could lead to health problems as it has several side effects. Now, unwanted pregnancy is probably worse than any of them.

[Mr_Snstr]

Building on what questionmark said. Plan B pill changes a womans hormones and cycle to a much much larger degree than normal birth control pills. That's why it works right away, as opposed to the "regular birth control pill" that takes time to be fully effective.

I can't see how anyone could advocate this being widely available without doctor supervision; especially for developing teenagers.

[rashore]

I'm not sure what to think of this. I had an experience with "morning after" pill once, geez, must have been at least 8-9 years ago. Yes, prescribed. It was because which one/dosage/hormone combination was used was based on the woman. Kind of like how different birth control pills is prescribed based on the woman. And yeah, a doctor is needed to make that decision.

If the Plan B pill works like that (and I have zero experience what that particular pill), I think it would be irresponsible to make it OTC. It should be matched to a womans.. whatever it is docs use to match it up. That's a big load of hormone cocktail being taken, and different women will react differently to it.

I suppose a reasonable or responsible approach would be when a woman goes in for her doc stuff, she can request that her type X of Plan B pill is noted for pharmacy records. At that point I would be comfortable with Plan B being sold without a specific doctors prescription before selling. Still behind the counter, requiring request of a pharmacist to hand out though rather than OTC.

I feel the same way about regular birth control too. That's a serious thing to be taking without a doctor checking you out to make sure what will work right with your body.

I find it interesting in threads like this when teenage pregnancy is held up. The CDC has reported a 70 year low in teenage births with a rather sharp decline over the last couple years. I don't know if it's better contraceptive use, better education, or pop culture abstinence. Personally, I don't care why, I'm just happy there's less teen moms.

[+HerNibs]

Information on the pill.

Overall, the data suggest that making Plan B as easy to get as aspirin will serve to benefit women's health, without increasing harm. Keeping Plan B "behind the counter and having to go through a gatekeeper — it replaces the prescription barrier with another one," says Dr. Daniel Grossman, a senior researcher at Ibis Reproductive Health and an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco. "We know it's a very, very safe drug that's impossible to overuse or abuse. Really, it should be on the shelf."

Indeed, one could argue that it's safer than aspirin: overdoses of over-the-counter painkillers like aspirin and ibuprofen can lead to serious liver, kidney or gastrointestinal problems, or even death. In contrast, it is impossible to overdose on Plan B. The drug is not used in the manufacture of illegal substances nor is it possible to abuse it like cough medicine. And although combination birth control pills containing both estrogen and progesterone are associated with a very slight elevation in stroke and blood clot risk, the progestin-only emergency contraception is not.

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2011/12/06/fda-may-remove-age-restrictions-from-morning-after-pill-plan-b/#ixzz1ftJ8Hq7W

Just an FYI.

Not sure where I stand on it...

Nibs

[questionmark]

Building on what questionmark said. Plan B pill changes a womans hormones and cycle to a much much larger degree than normal birth control pills. That's why it works right away, as opposed to the "regular birth control pill" that takes time to be fully effective.

I can't see how anyone could advocate this being widely available without doctor supervision; especially for developing teenagers.

In a perfect world you would not even take Aspirin without a doctor's supervision, but considering that we are talking a place were the majority has either no insurance or is drastically under insured we have to weigh the risk of getting pregnant against the residual health risk of the medicine.

[rashore]

Thanks Nibs.. That bit you posted makes it sound like Plan B is more of a one standard dose like aspirin or cough syrup rather than something that needs to be matched to the woman. Kind of a far cry from my experience. I'm still a bit leery about it though. It's still a huge dose of hormones IMO to be taken without any sort of medical advice or supervision. Geez, it's such a huge chemical/hormonal dose as to make the womb unsupportable for life- to me, that's a pretty big thing.

And Questionmark.... In a perfect world, the government would really give an eff about what we do medically beyond coffers. Or what looks good to the public and/or campaign promises.

I guess a question is... Do we want births of mothers under 20 to plummet more than is already happening? Do we want females of 10-19 years old to give birth less than it's current 70 year record low? Do we want females already considered under adult age, who are already giving birth less than any consenting age, to continue to keep giving birth less? Do we want to give females under 20 the option to halt pregnancies with a pill option beyond what's already going on? Do we want to give females under 20 an OTC option for halting pregnancy? (I still think doctor involvement is necessary, over or under 20)

I get really upset over issues like this. Yeah, I think people male and female should have ultimate say over their bodies. But so much with contraceptives and/or birthing crosses over.

Like if there was a Plan B for men.. I suppose that would be before sex. Like if a man thinks he might have sex and release swimmers that evening, take a pill to kill off fertilization. Or if there were a daily taking birth control pill to prevent pregnancy. But it falls onto the shoulders of women to be evil or not, to have had sex or not, to accept pregnancy or not. In a lot of ways, women can accept if they want to accept male fertilization. In a lot of ways, they can not. I would like to see a male aspect to it as much as as a female aspect of it.

[dale erie]

Regardless of the belief that Plan B is over the counter, it is only accessible behind the drugstore counter, with an ID. The FDA has advised that this be changed. However, the Secretary of Health and Human Services has blocked this move. These constraints could make it harder to get then before. Found this here: Sebelius overrules FDA recommendations on Plan B.

[FurthurBB]

I had heard it was the equivalent of an abortion too. If that's the case I don't think it should be sold over the counter. Especially to 11 year olds. I mean too many abortions could cause major issues I would think.

It is not the equivalent of an abortion, but can mess up your hormone balance if taken more than twice a year.