Prescription Pill fails Aussie women

PLANS to maintain the current Prescription-Only status of the oral contraceptive pill demonstrates a failure of common sense, Pharmacy Guild of Australia National Councillor, Natalie Willis, believes.

Willis described the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s (TGA’s) Advisory Committee on Medicines Scheduling (ACMS) interim decision not to down-schedule oral contraceptives to Pharmacist-Only, as an insult to women.

“It’s a sad moment for women in Australia,” she said.

“Allowing pharmacies to sell the pill in certain situations would take the pressure off GPs and increase its accessibility for women.

“It’s merely improving convenience for women to the same level as men, who can pop down to the shops and take care of their contraceptive needs very easily, whereas women have to jump through all these hoops.

“Rather than making a sensible and progressive decision in the interests of women, this interim decision is a retreat into the safety of the status quo. This has simply shelved an issue of great importance for women’s health.”

Willis said the interim decision was “holding back the entire health system in this country, creating unnecessary costs to the taxpayer, placing an undue burden on GPs who are already struggling to cope with demand and inconveniencing patients by denying them easier access to quality healthcare”.

“It is recognised as being within a pharmacist’s scope of practice to be able to assess a patient’s suitability for treatment and provide counselling on medicines, including indication, correct use, dosage, adverse effects, contraindications, precautions, and when to seek further medical advice,” she said.

“Pharmacists have demonstrated this ability in relation to oral contraceptives with the supply of levonorgestrel for emergency post-coital contraception, which was rescheduled by the TGA as a S3 medicine in 2004.

“We now have a situation where the morning after pill can be purchased over the counter, but a contraceptive pill will continue to require a prescription.”

Willis added that despite being the second country in the world to legalise the Pill, in 1961, Australia has lagged behind others, including New Zealand in making it available without a prescription.