OTC birth control on the table

A group of FDA advisors considered yesterday whether to approve the first over-the-counter birth control: HRA Pharma’s Opill. The pushback within the advisory committee isn’t that the drugs aren’t safe or effective (we know they are) but that patients might not take them correctly.

Taking the pill at around the same time every day is “essential” for the pill’s efficacy, the staff noted.

[…]

FDA staff also urged the expert panels to discuss whether women with health conditions like breast cancer that might make them inappropriate candidates for the pills would be able to conclude that the product might not be right for them.

OB-GYNs, however, are strongly in favor of OTC birth control, especially in rural areas where “over-the-counter oral contraception is ‘critical’ so that more people can ‘control their own reproductive futures, including avoiding pregnancy’.”

After the pandemic, what happens?

Today’s explainer: With the pandemic emergency ending, what does that mean for, well, everyone? From who will pay for what, to which programs are changing and shutting down, NPR’s got the details.

OTC meds: What’s recommended most?

Drug Store News has some interesting survey results about OTC meds, but before you click make a note of this: The respondents are called “retail pharmacy workers,” but they are by and large nurse practitioners (mostly from Kroger and a third from Ohio).

Some quickie highlights:

• Tylenol is the top choice for pain, except for migraines where Excedrin is the pick.
• Zyrtec rules for allergy meds, and the -quils — DayQuil and NyQuil — win for “cough, cold, and flu combinations.”
• Something about Allegra: It’s down the list behind Zyrtec, Claritin, and even Benadryl.

Why so many brand names? Probably because that’s what patients will recognize. Note the exception: ibuprofen is recommended more than Advil or Motrin.

Lyme vax postponed

We were soooooo close to a (new) Lyme disease vaccine, but then Pfizer and Valneva’s phase-3 study was hit with troubles thanks to the trial’s operator. Now the companies are saying it won’t be till 2026 that they apply for FDA approval, assuming the (relaunched) trial shows good results.

Senators support tele-prescriptions

Six US senators have “expressed concern” about the DEA’s plan to make some telehealth prescriptions more onerous. The agency is considering requiring in-person visits for controlleds including buprenorphine, which treats opioid-use disorder (OUD), but it said last week that it would hold off on changes after being flooded with letters from patients and prescribers asking that pandemic-era rules remain in effect.

With the rule change in limbo, “Our concerns are echoed by many medical organizations, stakeholders, and OUD treatment recipients worried about the transition from the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency to a post-pandemic era,” the senators wrote.

The in-person medical appointment requirement is especially problematic. Individuals may face barriers attempting to secure an in-person appointment with a medical provider, particularly in rural areas and medically underserved communities, due to lack of availability, stigma associated with OUD, and transportation challenges.

Captain Obvious doesn’t inhale

“Quitting Smoking Earlier Is Always Better for Lung Cancer Survival”

The Long Read

The Atlantic’s normal editors must be on vacation because it actually has a positive story. Instead of grumbling about all the things the US did wrong during the pandemic, the magazine looks at “23 Pandemic Decisions That Actually Went Right.”