In August 2006, the FDA approved an over-the-counter drug that many women may or may not know about.

Plan B, also known as the morning-after pill, is now available without a physician’s prescription to women 18 years of age and older.

After completing a project about Plan B for assistant professor Melissa Comber’s junior seminar in policy analysis, Katie Richter, ’08, realized that the new accessibility of the morning-after pill is hardly advertised and that many women may not be aware of the option.

“I did my project on Plan B and its availability in the Meadville area as a follow up to three papers I did for my women and public policy class,” Richter said. “I also chose this topic for my project because I realized that there was not a lot of awareness about Plan B on the Allegheny College campus and in the community.”

Summarizing her research, Richter said she found that advertisement circulation for the contraceptive is low.

The FDA deemed the contraceptive safe and approved it for over-the-counter sale on August 24, 2006. It was available at the pharmacy at the Meadville Wal-Mart the next day for $46.

Not only is access convenient, but now the advantage is that women can purchase the pill if they want or need to, not if their doctor grants permission.

“In the past, if the doctor thought it was against his beliefs, then he could refuse prescription,” said Michelle, a pharmacists at CVS who asked that her last name not be printed. “If [the patient's] doctor refused, then there would be no alternative way to get it.”

Retailers including Rite Aid, Wal-Mart, Jack’s Pharmacy and CVS carry the morning-after pill. The pharmacy at Giant Eagle, however, does not provide it.

In order to purchase the pill, the individual, male or female, must be at least 18 years of age and show proof of age with a driver’s license.

Miller said he believes that the FDA chose the age of 18 rather than 16 because the organization wanted to aim for the adult age group primarily.

Even with the pill being available over the counter, it is still not provided at the Winslow Health Center because of the cost of the pill.

Prices vary among local retailers. Rite Aid is the most expensive at $54.99, CVS falls in the middle at $44.99, and Jack’s is the cheapest at approximately $32.