July 13, 2023 9:32AM 

# FDA Finally Allows OTC Access to One Brand of “Minipill”—A Mini-step in the Right Direction 

By [Jeffrey A. Singer](https://www.cato.org/people/jeffrey-singer) 

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The Food and Drug Administration [announced](https://www.wsj.com/articles/fda-approved-birth-control-over-counter-4c180a93) this morning that it has granted marketing approval for the over-the-counter sale of one type of birth control pill, a progestin-only pill (also called the “minipill”). As explained [here](https://www.cato.org/commentary/fda-approves-over-counter-sales-one-birth-control-pill-now-its-time-approve-all-rest), the minipill is not as easy to use as combination oral contraceptives. Dublin-based Perrigo, the maker of the pill that will have the brand name Opill, states it hopes to have the pill on the market by 2024.

As [Josh Bloom](https://www.acsh.org/profile/josh-bloom) and I [wrote](https://www.cato.org/commentary/fda-approves-over-counter-sales-one-birth-control-pill-now-its-time-approve-all-rest) in May, enabling women to access this one brand of minipill is a ministep in the right direction. But the FDA should allow all women to access all forms of hormonal contraception over-the-counter.

Below are other articles I have written on the topic:

- [FDA Might Approve Over‐​the‐​Counter Sales of One Birth Control Pill. Now It’s Time To Approve All the Rest](https://www.cato.org/commentary/fda-approves-over-counter-sales-one-birth-control-pill-now-its-time-approve-all-rest)
- [Hey FDA, Free the Birth Control Pill!](https://www.cato.org/commentary/hey-fda-free-birth-control-pill)
- [OTC Birth Control Pills–Just What The Doctor Ordered](https://www.cato.org/blog/otc-birth-control-pills-just-what-doctor-ordered)
- [LA Times: Birth control should be available over the counter. How Congress can make that happen](https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2020-01-27/birth-control-pill-over-the-counter)
- [NY Daily News: Over-the-counter birth control? Bring it on](https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-over-the-counter-birth-control-bring-it-on-20190613-rsj7iwchsfes3lxtf32sp73vnm-story.html)
- [Time: Women Should Not Have to Visit a Doctor for Birth Control](https://time.com/4180612/birth-control-prescriptions/)

##### Related Tags 

[Regulation](https://www.cato.org/regulatory-studies), [Health Care](https://www.cato.org/health-care) 

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