Birth control pills are now available over the counter. What does it mean for Philadelphians?

The first birth control pill available over the counter at pharmacies without a prescription is rolling out to pharmacies in Philadelphia and around the country.

Also available online for purchase, Opill is offering health officials and providers in the Philadelphia region a new option to expand access to reproductive health care.

“Pharmacies are eager to stock it and sell it,” said Rob Frankil, the executive director of the Philadelphia Association of Retail Druggists, an organization of independent pharmacies in the area.

Wider availability of birth control is particularly important for people who don’t see a doctor regularly or who are not comfortable talking about their sexual activity with a physician, said Aasta Mehta, the medical officer of women’s health at the Philadelphia health department.

“It’s a win for reproductive health,” she said.

Pennsylvanians living far from a pharmacy or doctor’s office can also benefit from ordering the pill online and shipping it directly to their homes, said Adam Hosey, the policy director for Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates, the political action arm of the reproductive health-care organization.

“This is just a different way for folks to access birth control more discreetly,” he said.

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Opill, a contraceptive taken by mouth, was approved last summer by the Food and Drug Administration for sale without a prescription.

It uses the hormone progestin, a formulation that makes it safe to use for a larger swath of the population. Many birth control pills combine estrogen and progestin, but such combination pills may not be recommended for people with high blood pressure, those who have issues with blood clotting, and smokers, especially those over 35.

“Progestin, in and of itself, alone, doesn’t have any of that same risk profile,” Mehta said. “That can be safely taken by a lot of the population. It’s kind of a safer bet.”

Opill is priced at $19.99 for a month’s supply, $49.99 for a three-month supply, and $89.99 for a six-month supply, NPR reported.

The drug can be sold from shelves, but Frankil anticipates that some pharmacists may choose to keep it behind the counter and dispense it at customers’ requests, because of the relatively high price.

“It probably will be kept behind the counter due to cost and theft concerns, like some pharmacies have more expensive products behind the counter in a glass case,” he said. “In my own opinion, the manufacturers have priced it a little bit too high.”

Planned Parenthood is also advocating to keep contraception costs low, and is supporting a state bill from Rep. Leanne Kreuger (D., Delaware) that would require insurers to cover contraceptive medications and devices.

» READ MORE: Individual and small business health insurance plans must cover abortion care in N.J., new rules state

“We do need better insurance coverage — over-the-counter is still expensive, and folks should have access to birth control if they need it,” Planned Parenthood’s Hosey said.

The effort to expand access to birth control follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to strike down a national right to an abortion in June 2022. Since then, confusion around reproductive care, contraceptives, and access to abortions has been prevalent even in states like Pennsylvania, where abortion is still legal, Mehta said.

“There is this chilling effect on behalf of patients, where they’re not sure what’s legal and what’s not,” she said. “So having contraception be so readily available, even in a place where it’s still legal to have abortions, is really important.”

Because birth control has not been available without a prescription, Frankil said it’s hard to anticipate the demand that pharmacies might see for it. Many people may still choose to get birth control with a prescription that’s covered by insurance.

Mehta said the health department will monitor interest in the drug to see how patients access it and what kind of barriers, like cost, might keep some people from getting it. “It really will just depend on what the uptake is,” she said.