Japan has approved the over-the-counter sale of emergency contraceptive pills for the first time, the pill maker says, allowing women in the country to take the medicine without a prescription.
ASKA Pharmaceutical said greater access to the pill would “expand reproductive health options for Japanese women.” The date it will go on sale has not yet been announced.
The pill will be marked as an “advised medicine”, meaning women must take it in the presence of a pharmacist.
The morning after pill, a form of emergency contraception, is already available over the counter in more than 90 countries and is designed to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
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 after unprotected sex, but the sooner it is taken, the more effective it will be.
Conservative views of Japanentrenched in patriarchy and deeply traditional views of women's roles mean that medications related to women's reproductive health are slow to be adopted.
ASKA Pharmaceutical said in a statement Monday that it has “received marketing authorization as a gateway drug to an over-the-counter drug.” [over-the-counter] use of emergency contraceptive pills produced under the brand name “Norlevo”.
Will no age restrictions for buyers and no parental consent requiredThis was reported by the Mainichi Shimbun daily newspaper.
The company said it had applied for regulatory approval in 2024 after trialling the pill without a prescription a year earlier.
During the trial, Norlevo went on sale in 145 pharmacies in Japan.. Previously, tablets were sold only in clinics or pharmacies only after examination by a doctor and with a prescription.
At the time, human rights groups criticized the trial, saying it was too small, and called for the restrictions to be lifted. Campaigners have long argued that requiring a prescription deters young women and rape victims from accessing emergency contraception.
Selling the drug without a prescription was first discussed by a Ministry of Health commission in 2017 – public consultations found overwhelming support across the country.
But officials didn't give it the green light at the time, saying easier availability would encourage irresponsible use of the morning-after pill.
Norlevo and its generic version levonorgestrel work best within 72 hours of unprotected sex and have an 80% effectiveness rate.
