Restrictions to Emergency Birth Control Still in Place 2 Years After Judge's Order

Westport, CT, November 3, 2015 (Newswire.com) - ​Access to Emergency Birth Control Remains Restricted Two Years after Federal Judge Orders FDA to Change

Recent survey across 23 states shows restrictions continue to exist in 39% of pharmacies; underscores the need for better access for women  

"True access to emergency birth control means it must be available and affordable for all women regardless of where they live - and right now it is not. At www.AfterPill.com we offer both - unrestricted access and savings up to 60% off the national retail brands."

John Linderman, Managing Director, Syzygy Healthcare

More than two years after a Federal judge ordered the FDA to remove age restrictions from over-the-counter emergency contraception products, a recent national survey indicated 39% of pharmacies surveyed across 23 states continue to have age purchase restrictions in place and 36% do not have over-the-counter emergency contraception products on store shelves. 

The survey conducted this summer and released this month by the American Society for Emergency Contraception, a leading women’s health advocacy group, indicated that both independent and chain pharmacies continue to restrict access to over-the-counter emergency birth control despite the removal of all purchase and shelving restrictions by the FDA in the summer of 2013.

“True access to emergency birth control means it must be available and affordable for all women regardless of where they live – and right now it is not,” says John Linderman, Managing Director of Syzygy Healthcare, the makers of the AfterPill brand of emergency contraception.  “At www.AfterPill.com we offer both – unrestricted access and savings up to 60% off the national retail brands,” he added.  AfterPill.com provides 100% availability and unrestricted access to the best-selling and #1 doctor-recommended emergency contraception medicine for $20 plus shipping, helping to make emergency birth control more affordable and available for women.

About AfterPill Brand

AfterPill is a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized over-the-counter emergency contraceptive (1.5 mg levonorgestrel) tablet made in the U.S. for use by women ages 17 and older.  The dramatically lower price of AfterPill is intended to make emergency birth control more affordable and to encourage advance purchase so it is more quickly available in the event of unprotected sex or if birth control failure occurs. The sooner a woman takes a levonorgestrel-based emergency contraceptive, the more effective it is at preventing pregnancy, and research has shown it to be most effective within the first 12 hours. 

Being prepared and having AfterPill on hand will help women use an emergency contraceptive more quickly if needed – no rushing to the pharmacy or risking the product not being available or on shelf, and cost is less of a barrier.  The World Health Organization has long recommended women have an emergency contraceptive on hand.

For more information, visit www.AfterPill.com.  For complete survey results, contact the American Society for Emergency Contraction at www.americansocietyforec.org.