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US Close To Approving Plan B Emergency Contraceptive
By Staff
Mar 20, 2005, 14:33

Drug regulators in the U.S. are close to approving a plan that will allow non-prescription access to the emergency contraceptive Plan B, according to acting Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Lester M. Crawford.

Speaking at his Senate committee confirmation hearing, Crawford indicated the agency is close to implementing a plan to allow over-the-counter sales of the so called morning after pill.

Last year an expert panel recommended Plan B be approved for over-the-counter sale in the U.S., however, the FDA decided against the panel's recommendation. The move inspired critics like U.S. Senator Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton to accuse the agency of playing politics.

Craworfd denied allegations that the agency was delaying approval for political reasons.

The New York Times quoted Crawford as saying, "I can assure you that this decision will not be based on politics.... It will be based on science."

Plan B, also known as the "morning after pill," prevents unintended pregnancies. It was approved for prescription use in in the U.S. in 1999.

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