It may be another month before women seeking to buy Plan B emergency contraception without a prescription may do so at the University Health Center, health center officials said, despite the drug’s increasing over-the-counter availability at area pharmacies.
Health center officials said they will not begin selling Plan B, which can prevent pregnancy within 72 hours of unprotected sex, to students without prescriptions until its manufacturer sells out of its prescription-only stock of the drug, said Deirdre Younger, coordinator of pharmacy and support services at the center. That might not happen until the end of the month, or possibly the end of the semester, she said.
Although the Food and Drug Administration approved over-the-counter sale of Plan B to those 18 and older in August, the actual sale of the drug to customers without a prescription did not begin until last week, when the drug’s maker, Barr Pharmaceuticals, announced it had approved customer-friendly packaging for the drug and had begun shipping it to pharmacies nationwide.
Area pharmacies that have already received shipments of the newly packaged Plan B have already begun selling the drug over the counter. CVS/pharmacy, Target Pharmacy and Giant Pharmacy began over-the-counter sale of Plan B within days of receiving the drug from its maker, company spokesmen said. Barr expects pharmacies nationwide to sell Plan B over the counter by November.
The health center, too, has already received the newly packaged Plan B and has gotten clearance from Barr to sell the more than 200 doses in stock. However, the center will wait to sell its 50 remaining doses from older shipments, which cannot legally be sold over the counter.
Though Younger did not provide a specific reason for the decision to postpone sale of the newly received doses, she did say mixed signals from Barr contributed to the center’s overstocking of the prescription version and that the remaining surplus is expected to sell slowly. Until recently, the center believed the new packaging for Plan B would not be approved until January, she said.
Younger also said the decision benefits students by keeping the price of Plan B lower for longer, because the center charges $20 for a prescription of Plan B, while the over-the-counter version costs $30, Younger said.
“The medication itself is cheaper right now with a prescription, so actually we’re helping the students, too, by selling the old ones first,” Younger said.
The health center, however, charges a $10 doctor consultation fee which could add to the cost of the prescription if students do not receive their prescription from another doctor.
Some local health professionals criticized the health center’s decision to hold back selling the over-the-counter version, saying it was unfair to women who might urgently need the drug and cannot wait for an appointment.
“I think they should be able to sell the over-the-counter version right away, because it’s now over-the-counter nationally, and they shouldn’t be making a ruling like that,” said a local pharmacist, who asked not to be named because they were not authorized by their employer to do so. “I think it’s wrong … They shouldn’t be penalizing you guys because they haven’t gotten rid of old packaging.”
Younger countered this argument by saying students who request Plan B are usually seen on the same day at the Women’s Health Clinic or the Walk-In Clinic.
She added that a special contract with Barr Pharmaceuticals allows the university to sell Plan B cheaper than most retail pharmacies, and to maintain this contract, the center can only sell the drug to those affiliated with the university. Target sells Plan B for $34.94, CVS sells it for $44.99, and Giant sells it for $49.
Though the demand for Plan B has been on the rise, the birth control pill is still the most popular form of birth control at the health center, said Alli Matson, coordinator of sexual health education programs at the center. As emergency contraception, Plan B cannot be ranked among other forms of birth control, Matson said.
According to the FDA, Plan B – which is 86 percent effective – works similarly to other oral contraceptives. It contains high levels of progesterone, a hormone found in contraceptives like the Pill, and stops pregnancy primarily by halting ovulation, according to the FDA.
At all pharmacies, patients 17 or younger must still have a prescription to purchase Plan B, and customers must show identification to prove their age upon purchase.
Contact reporter Raquel Christie at christiedbk@gmail.com.
