Over-counter sales for emergency pill

The morning-after pill will soon be sold over the counter by some registered nurses and pharmacists, the Health Ministry said yesterday.

The emergency contraceptive pill is used to prevent pregnancy within 72 hours of unprotected sex.

The decision to allow the pill, containing the prescription medicine levonorgestrel, to be sold over the counter follows a review of its safety and effectiveness.

"This decision will make emergency contraception more readily accessible to women with the aim of reducing the number of unintended pregnancies and abortions," the Health Ministry agency Medsafe's senior adviser, Stewart Jessamine, said.

Medsafe is New Zealand's drug regulation authority.

Research had shown almost half of all conceptions were unplanned and awareness of the availability and effectiveness of emergency contraception in New Zealand was poor, he said.

Strict controls would govern who could sell the pills.

"Under the regulations, the product can be provided only on a prescription from a doctor or when sold by a registered nurse or pharmacist recognised by their respective professional bodies as having competency in the field of sexual and reproductive health," Dr Jessamine said.

The emergency contraceptive pill should be available over the counter by late this year or early next year.

The Family Planning Association welcomed the decision, saying it would increase access to the pill.

But it warned it would be concerned if price would become a barrier to that access.

And it was keen to ensure women could still have confidential consultations about issues such as sexually transmissible infections and ongoing contraception, director Gill Greer said.

- NZPA