In the span of about three weeks this summer, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made two historic decisions: They approved the first over-the-counter birth control pill in July, and then approved the first oral medication to treat postpartum depression in August.
Those are welcome developments, especially in light of abortion restrictions that now exist throughout the country, say policy experts. But the Center for American Progress (CAP) points out that these developments won’t mean nearly as much if the drugs, which have not yet hit the market, aren’t affordable for the average consumer.
Kierra Jones, a senior policy analyst at CAP, points outs “women often bear a greater financial burden when it comes to health care costs, and this burden disproportionately affects low-income women and women of color.”
Jones writes that research has shown “most adults are unwilling or unable to pay more than $15 per month for OTC contraception, and this number is even less for adolescents, at $10 per month.” Given that, drug manufacturers need to “use it to inform their pricing decisions,” says Jones, to “help women and their families access needed and routine health care without delay and unnecessary barriers.”
Several Democratic senators sent a letter this summer to the maker of OTC birth control pill, known as Opill, asking the drug manufacturer if they will sell at “a low and affordable cost” and looking for detail on “what criteria will be used to determine Opill’s price.”
