Now that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has finally approved the non-prescription sale of the Plan B or "morning after" pill, what will it mean for the retailers who sell it?
According to the FDA ruling, stores may now sell Plan B to women 18 or older without a prescription. A prescription is still required for girls 17 and younger. Actual over-the-counter (OTC) sales of the product will not happen until the FDA approves the packaging and insert warnings for the product.
Amy Niemann, vice president, proprietary marketing for Plan B at Duramed (a unit of Barr Pharmaceuticals), told USA Today that the product could be available for OTC sale as soon as Nov. 1. Ms. Niemann's company expects annual sales of Plan B to double (up to $70 million) once it goes OTC. A single package of two pills now sells between $25 and $40 as a prescription medicine.
Discussion Question: Now that Plan B is finally set to go OTC, what does that mean in practical terms for retailers?