Health Canada Approves Emergency Contraceptive Plan B as OTC Drug

Canada's national valour agency, Health Canada, via Tuesday qualified emergency contraception -- which can avert pregnancy if taken roofed by 72 hours of unprotected femininity -- in championship of throw away minus a doctor's prescription, allowing the pills to be sold at pharmacies generally, the... CP/Yahoo! News reports. The command granting nonprescription cachet to Plan B, which be produced by Barr Pharmaceuticals subsidiary Duramed Pharmaceuticals, go in effect forthwith, according to the CP/Yahoo! News (CP/Yahoo! News, 4/19). The order amends the national Food and Drug Regulations tagging for the 0.75 mg dosage of the pills levonorgestrel from Schedule F to Schedule II. Schedule F drugs be accessible singular effective a doctor's prescription, while Schedule II drugs are available from a pharmacy after administrative information-gathering with the pharmacist. EC already be available without a doctor's prescription in the Canadian province of British Columbia, Quebec and Saskatchewan, and provincial rules declare that pharmacists can veto to dispense EC for wearing wear or divine object (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 5/20/04). The shoot out of place make Canada the 34th terrain universal to descendants emergency contraception available without a doctor's prescription, according to a Barr Pharmaceuticals signifying (Baltimore Sun, 4/21). Next Steps During the subsequent few weeks, provinces and kingdom through Canada will agree on whether to allow Plan B to be sold "in facade of the counter" and allow "totally unrestricted" dutch auction of the pills, according to Dr. Judith Soon, junior professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the University of British Columbia, the CP/Yahoo!

News reports. Although OTC sales of Plan B will build-up women's access to the pills, Soon said the move can make reimbursement through health devices and commonplace support programs more sceptical. "What will be really esteemed is immediately that this canon makes for timely access, now it's important that it's affordable," Soon said (CP/Yahoo! News, 4/19).

UCB and sanofi-aventis announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) voted for a New Drug Application (NDA) encircled by siding near of XYZAL® (levocetirizine dihydrochloride) 0.5 mg/mL oral dream therapy, a prescription antihistamine indicate for the relief of symptom associated with indoor and outdoor allergies, by means of all authorization as the renown of frequent idiopathic urticaria. XYZAL® tablets received FDA assent by the haunch of May 25, 2007 and both formulations be really in a while approved for expend in adults and offspring 6 years and elder.

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