Profits and paternalism

Late Monday night, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finalized its decision to give pharmaceutical giant Teva Pharmaceuticals three years of exclusive rights to sell its brand name Plan B One-Step emergency contraception pill over-the-counter to women of all ages. The agency will also allow less expensive generic versions of the morning after pill to be sold without a prescription — but those will only be available to women aged 17 years and older for the next three years, after which the restrictions will lapse.

Under the new regulations, generic versions of single pill emergency contraception may be stocked on drug store shelves, but will require women to present identification proving that they’re at least 17 to buy it. That means that women under 17 seeking emergency contraception will only have the brand name option available to them while Teva still has its market exclusivity. Generic versions of the morning after pill cost about $20 or $30 less than the $60 Plan B.