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The first\u00a0over-the-counter birth control pill<\/a>\u00a0will be available in U.S. stores later this month, allowing American women and teens to purchase contraceptive medication as easily as they buy aspirin.<\/p>\n Manufacturer Perrigo said Monday it has begun shipping the medication, Opill, to major retailers and pharmacies. A one-month supply will cost about $20 and a three-month supply will cost around $50, according to the company\u2019s suggested retail price. It will also be sold online.<\/p>\n The launch has been closely watched since last July, when the Food and Drug Administration said the\u00a0once-a-day Opill<\/a>\u00a0could be sold without a prescription. Ireland-based Perrigo noted there will be no age restrictions on sales, similar to other over-the-counter medications.<\/p>\n Opill is an older class of contraceptive, sometimes called minipills, that contain a single synthetic hormone, progestin, and generally carry fewer side effects than more popular combination estrogen and progestin pills.<\/p>\n The launch gives U.S. women another birth control option amid the legal and political battles over reproductive health, including the reversal of\u00a0Roe v. Wade<\/a>, which has upended abortion access across the U.S. Opill\u2019s approval is unrelated to the ongoing court battles over the\u00a0abortion pill mifepristone<\/a>. And anti-abortion groups have generally emphasized that they do not oppose contraceptives to prevent pregnancies.<\/p>\n Birth control pills are available without a prescription across much of South America, Asia and Africa.<\/p>\n The drug\u2019s approval came despite some\u00a0concerns by FDA scientists<\/a>\u00a0about the company\u2019s results, including whether women with certain medical conditions would understand that they shouldn\u2019t take the drug.<\/p>\n Dr. Verda Hicks, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, in a statement, said studies have shown that patients, including adolescents, can effectively screen themselves to use the pills.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSubscribe to Well Adjusted, our newsletter full of simple strategies to work smarter and live better, from the Fortune Well team. Sign up<\/a> for free today.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n