The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) has told the Medicines Control Agency that any guidance to be issued to pharmacists by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society on how they should go about selling Levonelle-2, if it becomes a pharmacy medicine, should be kept to a minimum.
The BPAS's submission to the MCA on the proposed reclassification of Levonelle-2 (PJ, May 27, p788) says that any protocol that requires pharmacists to discuss a woman's sexual history or the reasons why she requires emergency contraception will be unnecessary and intrusive and might put people off buying the product. Such guidance will also be without purpose, as women might buy EHC for future use or on behalf of somebody else, it says.
"For this reason, there should be no requirement to document any of the women's details," the BPAS says.
The charity is also opposed to any requirement for pharmacists to have additional training. It says that pharmacists are already highly trained and involved in the provision of contraception.
"We see no reason why the provision of EHC should involve additional special training," it says. "We believe that the experience of supplying EHC (for the pharmacist) and of purchasing it (for the consumer) should be akin to the supply/purchase of treatments for common conditions, such as vaginal thrush or hayfever."
The BPAS also comments on the proposed restriction of sale or supply "to women aged 16-years and above". It asks the MCA whether there is an intention to prohibit sale or supply to men, bearing in mind that men now buy many products on behalf of, and for use by, their female partners.
Unlike the National Pharmaceutical Association (PJ, July 8, p41), the BPAS favours the age restriction, as this would remove the need to make sure the purchaser understood the product and could make a wise choice.