30 January
- BPAS joins wide range of organisations led by the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health (FSRH) calling for reclassification of oral emergency contraception (EC) from a Pharmacy (P) medicine to a General Sales List (GSL) medicine, allowing EC to be sold straight from the shelves without a mandatory consultation across retail outlets, as happens in other countries including the US, Sweden and Norway.[1]
- BPAS patients who experienced an unplanned pregnancy said embarrassment deterred them from getting EC, and the majority of women would prefer that the pharmacist consultation is optional[2]. In addition, 20% of women are being turned away due to lack of pharmacist availability or stock.[3]
- EC is safer than medicines sold off the shelf like paracetamol, proton pump inhibitors and nicotine replacement therapies.
Reproductive healthcare charity BPAS has today joined a call for the reclassification of oral EC to a GSL medicine. This will allow women to access EC off-the-shelf across retail outlets, including petrol stations and supermarkets, removing the barrier of a needless mandatory consultation with a pharmacist.
Georgina O’Reilly, Associate Director of Communications and Campaigns at BPAS, said:
“As cost-of-living pressures mount, abortion rates reach record highs, and birth rates record lows – it is more important than ever before that women are provided with swift and effective access to contraceptive choice. There needs to be a revolution in contraceptive innovation - swift and barrier-free access to emergency contraception is absolutely vital to this. It is safe, it is effective, and it gives women a second chance to avoid an unplanned pregnancy following unprotected sex.
“Arguments that the removal of the mandatory consultation would be a missed opportunity to remind women of the need for regular contraception do not stack up. Mystery shopper studies of pharmacy emergency contraception provision have repeatedly shown that advice about contraception is not provided in more than half of consultations, and in one BPAS study was not mentioned at all[4]. Pharmacists should always be available to discuss contraceptive options, but this should be on the woman’s terms and without fear of embarrassment.
“This is not just a safe medication, and considerably safer than many other products on the shelf, it protects women against pregnancy, a condition which can seriously affect women’s physical and mental health – as well as her personal safety. Of course it’s not the same as taking a paracetamol, because the consequences if it’s not taken are so much more significant that an ongoing headache.
“We owe it to women to do everything in our power to get this pill into their hands as swiftly as possible.”
The FSRH position statement can be found here: FSRH press release: Medical leaders call for the reclassification of oral emergency contraception to increase accessibility - Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare
ENDS
For further information, please contact Georgina O’Reilly, BPAS Associate Director of Communications and Campaigns, on georgina.oreilly@bpas.org or 07384 891886.
[1] Country-by-Country Information - ECEC (ec-ec.org)
[2] levonorgestrel-gsl.pdf (bpas.org)