CNN –
Opill, the first oral contraceptive approved for over-the-counter use in the United States, will be available in stores and online this month. The manufacturer's suggested retail price is $19.99 for a one-month supply and $49.99 for a three-month supply, according to Perrigo, the company behind the product.
Perrigo announced Monday that Opill has been shipped to major retailers and pharmacies and will be available for pre-order at select retailers starting this week. Once the product hits the shelves, everyone can buy it without a prescription. It will also be available on Opill.com.
“From an online perspective, it should be available to order almost immediately,” said Triona Schmelter, executive vice president and president of consumer self-care Americas at Perrigo.
As for availability, “I expect it will take a couple of weeks to get through the distribution pipeline, we'll ship it to the retailers' distribution facilities and then they'll ship it to their stores,” she said. But once the product is on shelves, “consumers can find it in the family planning section of most retailers and should be able to pick it up at their convenience.”
Perrigo said Opill will be available in stores and online in one-month and three-month packs. And a six-month supply is available at Opill.com for $89.99.
According to Perrigo, when taken as directed at the same time every day, Opill has been shown to prevent pregnancy by 98%. Most birth control pills can prevent pregnancy by up to 99% when taken every day as directed.
“We are happy about it. “It’s looking very good,” Patrick Lockwood-Taylor, Perrigo’s president and CEO, said of the Opill launch in a company earnings call last week. “The product is here, waiting to be distributed.”
Walgreens and CVS have announced they will offer the product.
“Opill will be available on CVS.com and through the CVS Pharmacy app in late March,” spokesman Matt Blanchette wrote in an email Friday. “In early April, more than 7,500 CVS Pharmacy locations will offer Opill, and for increased privacy and convenience, customers will be able to choose between same-day delivery or purchase online and pick up in store.”
Some online retailers, such as women's health center Stix, are also willing to offer the product. Stix founders Jamie Norwood and Cynthia Plotch said they were “thrilled” about the significant milestone Opill marks for contraceptive accessibility, but were “very aware” of the impact costs could have on access.
A 2022 survey conducted by the nonprofit KFF found that 39% of women who said they were likely to use over-the-counter birth control pills were willing and able to pay up to $10 per month for them, 34% would be willing and able to pay up to $20 per month – the recommended cost of a month's supply of Opill – and only about 16% said they would pay more than $20. Under the Affordable Care Act, most insurance plans are required to offer contraceptive coverage with no deductible, making it free.
“With these insights, Stix is committed to reducing financial barriers and ensuring vital healthcare products and services are accessible to all,” said Norwood and Plotch.
Plotch said Opill “will be truly amazing for people who otherwise don't have access to the prescription form of oral contraception that is covered by health insurance.”
Perrigo Company plc
A three-month supply of Opill has a suggested retail price of $49.99.
Last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Opill for over-the-counter availability, meaning it is available without a prescription. Since then, there have been ongoing questions about how much it would cost.
A group of advocates called Free the Pill is calling for a lower price. In January, Free the Pill sent a letter to Perrigo asking the company and retailers to price Opill at just $15 for a three-month supply.
“We also urge Perrigo to implement a robust and accessible consumer assistance program for those who cannot afford this price,” the letter said. “Perrigo and retailers’ decision to make Opill affordable can help address contraception inequities that already exist in the United States and are rooted in systemic racism and other forms of oppression.”
Perrigo's Schmelter said advocacy groups like Free the Pill have been “essential to building the research, educating the public and us, and advocating for the introduction of a birth control pill without a prescription.”
She added that Perrigo will offer a cost assistance program for qualified low-income and uninsured people in the coming weeks.
“We really wanted to think about all consumers when developing our pricing strategy to ensure it was accessible to our consumers and ensured both affordability and on-shelf availability,” Schmelter said.
According to Perrigo, policyholders may be able to have Opill paid for or reimbursed through flexible spending or health savings accounts.
Cost and insurance issues may mean Opill is still out of reach for some people, but overall an over-the-counter birth control pill is a “big step forward,” Dr. Colleen Denny, director of family planning at NYU Langone Hospital – Brooklyn, in an email.
“Having an over-the-counter, highly effective contraceptive method on the shelves is potentially a big step forward in improving access to quality contraception. We know that obtaining a prescription medication, which is required for all other birth control pills in the United States, can potentially be a significant hurdle for patients,” she wrote. “A pill you can buy at the store could potentially help with this.”
Opill works as a “mini pill” and uses only the hormone progestin to prevent pregnancy. Combined hormonal birth control pills that contain both progestin and estrogen increase the risk of blood clots more than birth control pills that contain only progestin, Dr. Asima Ahmad, Chief Medical Officer and Co-Founder of Carrot Fertility, a global fertility care platform.
“Progestin-only pills do not increase the risk of a blood clot like combined OCPs, which may make them a great option for some people who cannot take combined OCPs,” Ahmad wrote in an email, referring to oral contraceptives.
“Although the pill must be taken at the same time every day to be effective,” she said, “if it is not taken regularly and at about the same time every day, the effectiveness decreases.”
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Because Opill is a progestin-only oral contraceptive, it is “incredibly safe” for the vast majority of people who may be interested in taking it, Dr. Ashley Brant, director of complex family planning at the Cleveland Clinic.
Combined birth control pills may pose risks for people with uncontrolled high blood pressure or blood clot risks for smokers over 35. Contraindications for progestin-only pills include medical conditions such as breast cancer or liver disease or taking certain medications.
“Birth control pills contain either progestogen only or estrogen plus progestin. For most people, both birth control pills are safe, but the progestin-only pill in particular has very few contraindications. There are very few medical reasons why a progestin-only pill would be unsafe for someone,” Brant said, adding that overall Opill is a “big step” toward making contraception more accessible.
“Now there will still be a lot of people who would rather go to their trusted doctor, talk about other options, get a prescription and use their insurance to cover a prescription – and that type of contraception will not work.” , she said. “This is just an additional option for contraception that we didn’t have before.”