Celebrating one year of OTC birth control pills in the United States!
One year ago, we made history when the first-ever over-the-counter (OTC) daily birth control pill — Opill — became available in the United States! Opill’s rollout across the country in March 2024 made it the most effective form of birth control available with no prescription or ID requirement.
This groundbreaking advancement in contraceptive access came after two decades of advocacy, research, and movement building from Free the Pill coalition members and supporters.
A movement-driven win
The Free the Pill coalition — formerly the Oral Contraceptives Over the Counter (OCs OTC) Working Group — first convened in 2004 to strategize and build support for OTC birth control pills. Over the next 20 years, the coalition grew to a group of over 250 reproductive justice advocates, youth activists, providers, researchers, and many others, who signed onto our statement of purpose to demonstrate their commitment to bringing birth control pills over the counter and ensuring they are affordably priced, fully covered by insurance, and available to people of all ages.
Check out Free the Pill’s Our History page for a full timeline of important events that led to this movement-driven win.
For a deeper dive into Free the Pill’s history, you can watch our webinar series to hear from leaders in our movement:
Spreading the word about Opill
Opill has been on shelves for a year, but we still have work to do to ensure everyone knows about it! Here are a few resources you can use to share evidence-based information about Opill with your communities:
- Fact Sheet: Opill FAQ — in Spanish and English. This fact sheet provides evidence-based answers to the most common questions about Opill.
- Fact Sheet: Opill FAQ for providers. This fact sheet is intended to assist health care professionals in answering questions from patients and links to the most up-to-date research.
- Instagram Reel: Everything you need to know about Opill — in Spanish and English. This resource, made in collaboration with Reproductive Health Access Project, provides a quick breakdown of Opill, how it works, and where to get it.
- Fact Sheet: Opill for transgender and gender-expansive folks. Check out our fact sheet to learn more about the reasons transgender, nonbinary, intersex, and/or gender-expansive people may consider using an OTC progestin-only birth control pill like Opill.
Low- and no-cost options for getting Opill
At a suggested retail price of $19.99/monthly pack, Opill is not accessible for everyone. Free the Pill continues to work toward ensuring equitable access to OTC birth control pills. In addition, there are currently two programs that allow people to receive Opill at low or no cost:
- Opill Cost Assistance Program for individuals: Eligible individuals can use this program receive Opill for free or at a reduced cost. Learn more on Opill’s website.
- Opill Bulk Donation Program for organizations: nonprofit organizations, Title X clinics, and 340B providers can apply to receive bulk donations from Perrigo (Opill’s pharmaceutical manufacturer) to distribute in their communities. Learn more on Opill’s website.
Combatting misinformation about birth control
We know there is a lot of misinformation on out there about contraception and other types of medicines that are used in reproductive health care! Below are some resources that Free the Pill and our partners have put together to address confusion and ensure you have all the facts:
- Birth control pills, emergency contraceptive pills, and abortion pills: What’s the difference? Birth control pills, emergency contraceptive pills, and abortion pills are three different types of medications that are used in reproductive health care. One main difference between them is that birth control pills and emergency contraceptive pills prevent pregnancy, while abortion pills end a pregnancy. Learn more about how these medications are different from one another in this fact sheet, made in collaboration with Free the Pill coalition member, Reproductive Health Access Project.
- What’s the Difference between COCs and POPs? Combined oral contraceptives (COCs) and progestin-only pills (POPs) are the two types of daily birth control pills that people can take to prevent pregnancy. While they have a lot in common, there are a few differences that people might want to be aware of as they decide which birth control method works best for them. Learn more about these similarities and differences in our new fact sheet!
Get involved!
While bringing the first birth control pill over the counter was a huge step for contraceptive access nationwide, there is still work to do to ensure Opill is equitably accessible, and to lay the groundwork to bring more birth control pills over the counter in the United States.
Sign up for campaign updates to stay up-to-date on how you can get involved in the movement to #FreeThePill, and check out our Take Action page for more ideas on how you can support our work.
