BBC News, 1
May 2013
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Under a court ruling, Plan B must be available to all women without a prescription |
Proof-of-age
will be required to purchase the drug, Plan B. The decision comes a month after
a judge ordered the drug to be made available to girls of all childbearing
ages.
The FDA
said its decision was not a response to the court ruling.
Reproductive
rights groups approved the FDA move but called for fuller access.
On Tuesday,
the FDA said its decision was in response to an amended marketing plan from the
drug's maker, Teva Pharmaceuticals, to sell Plan B without a prescription to
women 15 and older.
But the
move comes days before the deadline to comply with a New York district judge's
order to make the drug available over the counter to girls of all childbearing
ages.
Obama
administration criticised
The judge
criticised the Obama administration for imposing an age-17 limit.
In 2011,
the FDA said it had concluded the "morning after" pill could be
safely used by girls of child-bearing age.
But in an
unprecedented move, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius
overruled the agency.
She said
there was not enough evidence from all potential ages to support removing
over-the-counter restrictions.
The Obama
administration was accused of bowing to pressure from social conservatives.
The
reproductive rights group that brought the lawsuit said on Tuesday it will
continue its legal fight if need be.
Lowering
the age limit "may reduce delays for some young women but it does nothing
to address the significant barriers that far too many women of all ages will
still find if they arrive at the drugstore without identification", said
Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights.
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