MHRA begins to consider OTC availability of contraceptive pill
CC Studio/Science Photo Library
OTC availability could improve access |
Potential benefits of reclassifying oral contraceptives from prescription-only to pharmacy medicines were discussed at a Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency conference in London this week.
Mary Armitage, chairman of the Commission on Human Medicines’s
expert advisory group on medicines for women’s health, led the
session “Contraception over the counter: moving from emergency
contraception to oral contraception”, during the MHRA’s “Widening
access to medicines — focus on women’s health” seminar.
She said that the group was delighted to have this topic on the agenda.
However, she added: “We are not aware of any applications pending,
so this is about opening the dialogue.” She emphasised that many
parties would need to be committed to the process for a classification
to work. Nonetheless, she said: “Opening up the debate is the first
step.”
Ailsa Gebbie, of Dean Terrace Family Planning Centre in Edinburgh, said
the usual chain of events for obtaining oral contraception was mired
by “time-consuming, expensive and unnecessary obstacles”.
This chain could, she argued, be pruned to its bare essentials: “You’ll
attend a pharmacy and complete a checklist. You’ll have your blood
pressure checked and then you’ll discuss the situation with the
pharmacist. You will at that stage receive a first-class patient information
leaflet and begin oral contraception,” she suggested.
Pharmacists would be able to provide help and advice and could easily
reassure women about some common concerns, such as gaining weight and “nuisance” side
effects. In addition, she said, “it gives a powerful message to
the public that oral contraception is not dangerous”.
Connie Smith, of Westminster Primary Care Trust, looked at the obstacles
to reclassifying oral contraceptives. She said that many questions needed
to be answered before such a classification could go ahead. “Is
it going to increase access? Is it going to decrease morbidity and unwanted
pregnancy? Is it going to improve women’s experience of using contraception,” she
asked. She also questioned how the cost of the medicines and for providing
them would be allocated and how equity of provision could be guaranteed. “I
think all these questions need to be answered,” she said, “but
I’m pleased that we have the opportunity to air the issues and
I hope that this is not going to be the last of the discussions.”
The opening of a debate about the reclassification of contraceptives
has been welcomed by the National Pharmacy Association. Colette McCreedy,
director of practice, commented: “The profession has a track record
of dealing with sensitive issues such as the choice to use emergency
hormonal oral contraception. This proposal can be seen as a natural progression
towards pharmacists being able to look after the holistic needs of patients.”
Leading article p152 |
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