Amazon Limits Sales of Emergency Contraceptive Pills to Three Units Per Customer

The sales of Plan B and other generic brands of levonorgestrel morning-after pills spiked last week after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision. In response, Amazon confirmed to several media outlets that it is limiting its sale of contraceptive pills to three units per customer as the demand increases.

Customers who need the emergency contraception on Amazon also had to wait a while as the estimated delivery range for Plan B is from July 19 to August 6.

My choice, its generic counterpart, has a delivery date of July 28. Costumers can also opt to purchase Plan B online. Instacart and GoPuff offer same-day delivery, Yahoo! Finance reports.

Effective but not always available

Even before Amazon announced that it would limit its sale for Plan B, a survey indicated that the pill was not always available.

According to Dr. Sonya Borrero, a professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, emergency contraceptive pills are incredibly time-sensitive. It needs to be taken within five days after unprotected sex, adding that the sooner the woman takes the pill, the better.

As per Science Direct, a quarter of American women have used the pill at some point in their lives to prevent unintended pregnancy. Borrero said the contraceptive is effective, safe, and legal throughout the United States, yet researchers find it unavailable when people need it.

Studies also reveal that Plan B works best in the first 72 hours after unprotected intercourse, and after five days, its efficacy wanes. 

Ella, another levonorgestrel morning-after pills brand, is effective throughout the five-day window and works for women who are overweight or obese.  

Plan B is supposed to be available over the counter, but when Borrero sent a team of medical students across Pennsylvania, they found that a third of pharmacies do not have stocks of Plan B. If pharmacies have it, it is not found on the shelf but behind the counter or on locked boxes. Placing the item behind the counter means a customer must ask someone to hand them the contraceptive. For teenagers, asking for the pill poses concern about potential judgment, discouraging them from buying it.

Read Also: Roe vs. Wade: Abortion Provider Braces for Increased Number of Patients from the Restrictive States

Reasons for keeping it behind the counter

But pharmacists have good reasons for putting Plan B out of everyone's reach, NPR reports. According to Don Downing, a clinical professor at the University of Washington School of Pharmacy who spent many years as a retail pharmacist, Plan B is frequently a target for theft. These theft cases keep many pharmacies struggling financially when recovering the losses. Hence, many pharmacies opt to keep it locked up in the store.

Plan B and its generics retail for about $40 to $50. The high cost may also be why some retailers lock it in a box or keep it behind the counter. 

Also, before 2006, Plan B could only be dispensed by a pharmacist. After U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared it for over-the-counter sale, some pharmacies might have opted not to move it. Some pharmacies may have placed the items behind the counter for religious or personal views.

ted not to move it. Some pharmacies may have placed the items behind the counter for religious or personal views.

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