OTTAWA -- The emergency contraceptive pill Plan B will now be sold on the front shelves of Canadian pharmacies without any medical consultation after a landmark decision came down Thursday to make the drug more accessible.
In its final ruling, the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA) has given Plan B, or Levonorgestrel, full over-the-counter status.
This new status will make Canada the fifth country worldwide that allows women to go into any pharmacy and purchase the single dose pill without speaking to a pharmacist first. Plan B is already available without a prescription and a medical consultation in Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden and India.
"I could walk in today and get it," said Dr. Colleen Metge, an associate pharmacy professor at the University of Manitoba. "This is a good thing for women."
Plan B, also known as the morning-after pill, contains hormone progestin, the same ingredient as in regular birth control. It has an 89 per cent effective rate of preventing pregnancy if taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex. Side effects include nausea and vomiting. One dose costs $30.
In April 2005, the former prescription-only drug was given partial over-the-counter status in Canadian pharmacies, which made it available only to women who had a medical consultation with a pharmacist.
Since then, 638,000 units of the pill have been sold in Canada -- double the number of sales compared to when it was only available with a prescription, according to IMS Health Canada, which tracks drug sales in the country.
"Women just don't want to or be forced to discuss their personal lives with a pharmacist," said Metge, who is happy the last of the barriers to women purchasing or using the drug have been knocked down. "They want to be able to take charge of their own lives. They should be able to get the pill because it is for an emergency. It's the last chance women have to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. There's no reason not to do this since the pill is so safe and effective."
Metge said the reason why some pharmacists are so adamantly against this decision may be tied to a loss of fees they used to be able to collect if they provided a consultation prior to distributing Plan B.
But Janet Cooper of the Canadian Pharmacists Association said Thursday the issue is not over money, but over the fact most women are misinformed about the pill and should speak to a professional before taking it.
"We are disappointed with the decision because we really don't believe it is in the best interest for women. It will not improve their knowledge and certainly not improve access to the pill," she said.
Cooper argued that in the past, pharmacists were able to "bridge the gap" between patients and doctors and were able to answer any questions women had with taking the pill, flag a woman if she was taking it often and provide advice or refer them to a physician if needed.
"This is particularly important for teenage girls. For it to be out there with the condoms or the Tylenol sends a message that this is not a big deal," Cooper said. "It is."
This final ruling is effective immediately in all provinces except British Columbia, Quebec and Newfoundland.
In B.C. and Newfoundland, there will be a waiting period of up to three months.In Quebec, Plan B is still only available with a prescription.
-- Canwest News Service
PREVIOUS
