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Birth control pills may soon be available over the counter for the first time ever

A one-month dosage of hormonal birth control pills is displayed in Sacramento, Calif.  (Rich Pedroncelli/AP)
A one-month dosage of hormonal birth control pills is displayed in Sacramento, Calif. (Rich Pedroncelli/AP)

Could some birth control pills soon be available without a prescription?

That is the hope of French drugmaker HRA Pharma. The company announced Monday that it’s asking the Food and Drug Administration to approve its birth control pill for over-the-counter use.

Here & Now’s Robin Young speaks with Dr. Susan Wood, former assistant commissioner for women’s health at the FDA. Now she directs George Washington University’s Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health Services

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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