US drops opposition to morning-after pill sales over the counter

The Obama administration dropped its long-standing opposition to over-the-counter sales of a controversial morning-after pill and decided to permit consumers of any age to buy "Plan B One-Step" without a prescription.

In papers filed in federal court in New York, government attorneys announced that the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services would remove age and point-of-sale restrictions on the emergency contraceptive, pending approval by US District Judge Edward Korman.

The decision would not apply to similar brands of emergency contraceptives, nor to a two-pill version of the same drug, which is manufactured by the Israel-based pharmaceutical firm Teva.

The limited nature of the government's proposal could be an issue for Korman, who has ordered that all such drugs be available over the counter like aspirin. If he approves it, however, the government said it would drop its appeal of an order he issued in April.

The drugs have prompted a long-running legal battle between two White House administrations and reproductive rights advocates, who contend that the government unnecessarily restricts access to birth control. Last week, a federal appeal court refused, in part, to grant the government's request to block the sale of all levonorgestrel-based emergency contraceptives without restriction.

Plan B One-Step, uses the synthetic hormone levonorgestrel to prevent pregnancy by blocking ovulation and impeding the mobility of sperm.