Historic step for women in Japan after years of debate over over-the-counter 'morning-after' pill
“Emergency” contraceptives in pharmacies in Tokyo on November 24, 2023. PHOTO: Kaname Yoneyama / AP / Profimedia
Japan has approved, for the first time in its history, the over-the-counter sale of an emergency contraceptive pill, its manufacturer has announced, which will allow women in the country to take the drug without a prescription, reports BBC News.
ASKA Pharmaceutical said wider access to the drug “will empower Japanese women in reproductive health.” The date the pill will go on sale has not yet been announced.
The pill will be labeled as a “prescription medicine”, meaning women must take it in the presence of a pharmacist.
The “morning-after” pill – a form of emergency contraception – is already available without a prescription in more than 90 countries and is designed to prevent an unwanted pregnancy.
It works by preventing a woman's egg from fully developing or attaching to the wall of the uterus. It usually needs to be taken within three to five days of unprotected sex, but the sooner it is taken, the more effective it is.
Japan's conservative views, rooted in patriarchy and deeply traditional views of women's roles, have made approving drugs related to women's reproductive health a slow process.
ASKA Pharmaceutical said in a press release on Monday that it “obtained marketing authorization for the transition to over-the-counter use of the emergency contraceptive pill marketed under the Norlevo brand.”
There will be no age restrictions for female buyers of the drug and no parental consent will be required, the Mainichi Shimbun daily reported.
The company said it filed for approval in 2024, after it began distributing the pill over the counter on a trial basis the previous year.
During that time, the Norlevo pill was available in 145 pharmacies in Japan. Until then, the pill was only available in clinics or pharmacies, after consulting a doctor and only on prescription.
At the time, human rights groups criticized the study, saying it was too narrow, and called for the restrictions to be lifted. Activists have long argued that prescriptions discourage young women and rape victims from accessing emergency contraception.
The sale of the drug without a prescription was first discussed by a Ministry of Health committee in 2017, and the public consultation found overwhelming support across the country.
But Japanese officials did not give the green light at the time, saying that facilitating access to the drug would encourage irresponsible use of the “morning-after” pill.
Norlevo – and the generic version levonorgestrel – is most effective in the first 72 hours after unprotected sex and has an 80% effectiveness rate.
