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No prescription needed … A push to make the contraceptive pill available over the counter in chemists. Picture: Justin Lloyd Source: News Limited
WOMEN would be able to get the contraceptive pill over the counter in pharmacies without a prescription under a controversial proposal before the nation’s medicine watchdog.
The move would give busy working women a break but it is being opposed by the Australian Medical Association who warn the pill can cause strokes.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration’s Advisory Committee on Medicines and Chemicals Scheduling is asking for submissions on the subject by December 11.
Under the proposal chemists would have to get patients to fill in a minor questionnaire about family history of heart problems, hypertension and stroke.
The chemist would also have to provide an in-pharmacy blood pressure test to ensure the patients suitability for the medication.
There would be a limit of three to six months supply in one visit.
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No need for a prescription … Pharmacists would have to quiz patients and test their blood pressure before providing the contraceptive pill under the proposal.
The Pharmacy Guild of Australia says it is not behind the application for the change in rules even though chemists can now dispense one off emergency scripts for contraceptives.
“Generally speaking we support down scheduling as a measure that can improve access to medicines while retaining oversight of a medical professional in a safe and appropriate environment,” Pharmacy Guild spokesman said.
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Australian Medical Association spokesman Dr Brian Morton said it was a significant issue because “the pill does have risks for women”.
A class action was currently underway in Australia against a pharmaceutical company that makes some contraceptives linked to blood clots, he said.
Women really needed a doctor to check whether there were any contraindications to them using the pill and needed to be told about the need for regular Pap smears and breast checks.
“Over the longer term there will be dramatic impacts, we’ll go back to the bad old days of cervical cancer because women won’t be having Pap smears,” he said.
“The pill does have risks for women” … AMA GP spokesman Dr Brian Morton says the pill should be prescribed by a doctor. Source: News Limited
“Doctors also need to discuss with women the risks of smoking and the pill, and the fact they still need to protect against sexually transmitted infections,” he said.
There was not private area in a pharmacy to have these sorts of intimate discussions, he said.
A spokeswoman for Family Planning NSW said it was “supportive of anything that reduces unnecessary barriers to accessing contraception”
“It could definitely work but there are limitations that have to be addressed, a spokeswoman said.
The association said it was not behind the application and was unsure who was calling for the rule change.
“It is not clear whether they are talking about new scripts or repeat scripts which have very different implications,” she said.
Health risks with taking the pill … Hannah Pritchard suffered a mini stroke because of the contraceptive pill she was on. Picture: Justin Lloyd Source: News Limited
The association says women need to be given information about other options for contraception such as long acting contraceptives when using birth control and a great deal of extra support would need to be given to pharmacists if they were to be able to perform this role, she said.
Not all contraceptives would be covered by the proposed rule change.
The following contraceptives are included in the application: Oestradiol, Desogestrel Ethinylestradiol, Norethisterone, Levonorgestrel Cyproterone, Gestodene, Drospirenone, Mestranol, Medroxyprogesterone, Oestrogens, Progestogens.
Pharmaceutical Company Bayer which makes two thirds of the contraceptive pills sold in Australia said it believes in responsible prescribing thorough an individual consultation between a doctor and a women to assess her suitability for the oral contraceptive pill”.
Originally published as Moves for the pill without a scrip