Judge Orders FDA to Remove Age Restriction from Over-the-Counter Sales of Morning-After Pill

Sales of the so-called morning-after emergency contraceptive pill without a prescription have been restricted to those aged 17 and older. In late 2011, the FDA recommended dropping all age restrictions, but the secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) overruled the agency. In his order on Friday, the judge called HHS's action “politically motivated, scientifically unjustified, and contrary to agency precedent.”

In a December 2012 letter to HHS, several medical organizations asked that the age restriction be removed. The judge ordered removal of the restriction within 30 days. It's not known whether the Obama administration will appeal.