The Food and Drug Administration approved the first daily birth control pill in the United States that can be sold without a prescription Thursday. Approval of the progestin-only pill, called Opill by French drugmaker HRA Pharma and its parent company Perrigo, is an unprecedented move by federal regulators that advocates say should dramatically expand access to millions of women. The drug is expected to wind up on shelves at convenience stores, grocery chains and online in early 2024.
Use of all hormonal contraceptives is associated with a small increase in the risk of breast cancer, according to a new study. The research, published in the journal PLOS Medicine, found a relative increase of 20 to 30 per cent in breast cancer risk associated with both combined