News

(December 16, 2016)  As of December 14, 2016, and for the first time in the history of Malta, dedicated emergency contraceptive pills are available for purchase behind the counter in Maltese pharmacies. UPA EC pills are already on the market, and LNG pills are expected in the coming weeks. Untill 2016, Malta was the only…

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (bpas) recently launched a campaign in the UK calling for LNG EC to be made available directly on pharmacy shelves at an affordable price. Currently in the UK, women can only obtain EC from behind the pharmacy counter after a consultation with a pharmacist, and LNG EC costs up to £30,…

On October 17th, 2016, the head of the Malta Medicines Authority, Serracino Inglott, announced that the sale of EC pills will be allowed without a prescription. According to an article from Times of Malta: “The authority has always based its decisions on three things; quality, safety of patients and efficacy. By asking patients to go to doctors…

A study published in September 2016 in the European Journal of Contraception & Reproductive Health Care looks at the characteristics and profiles of 1773 women who presented at an emergency service (ES) for a prescription of EC (mandatory until May 2015) in Italy. The study found that the mean age of the women was 26.0 years;…

 (October  5, 2016) Gideon Richter released a new video that provides a very clear and easy-to-understand explanation of the mechanism of action of EC. This video, which incorporates 3-D animation, can be found here and is available for use in educational programas and trainings.

(October 5, 2016)  The fall issue of the Journal of the University of Malta Medical School (Vol.28 Issue 3, 2016) focuses its editorial on emergency contraception. The article states that the most recent scientific evidence shows that LNG ECP delays ovulation and does not prevent implantation nor does ECP cause the loss of implanted embryos, and…

On May 2016, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommended the use of a non-hormonal emergency contraceptive (EC) when a woman in need of EC is using other interacting medicines (such as the HIV medicine efavirenz and ritonavir, certain medicines for tuberculosis and epilepsy, and herbal medicines containing St John’s wort). If using a cooper IUD…

A study published in March 2016 by researchers from the Department of International Health of Maastricht University, assesses the status of EC pills in European Union and associated countries a year after UPA was allowed for sale without prescription, and also looks into the impact of this switch on EC pills sales. Status of Emergency Contraceptives in Europe One Year…

In June 2016, the Maltese NGO Women’s Rights Foundation (WRF) filed a judicial protest on behalf of 102 women, requesting that emergency contraception is licensed, available, and accessible locally. The Minister of Health announced that the issue will be discussed at the Parliament Social Affairs committee in the coming months. Despite being a member of the European Union,…

As of June 2016, the mandatory dispensing protocol for UPA EC pills in Croatia has been cancelled. The dispensing protocol was developed by the Croatian Pharmacy Chamber, and its mandatory status was imposed by the Minister of Health in April 2015 following the European Medicine Agency’s (EMA) recommendation to sell UPA EC without a prescription….

On May 24, 2016, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced completion of a review of the existing data related to the efficacy of EC and body weight, concluding that the data do not warrant a change to product labels: “The FDA has completed a review of available scientific data concerning the effectiveness of levonorgestrel (LNG)…