CMAJ • February 12, 2008; 178 (4). doi:10.1503/cmaj.070861.
© 2008 Canadian Medical Association or its licensors
All editorial matter in CMAJ represents the opinions of the authors and not necessarily those of the Canadian Medical Association.
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Research

Research letter

Availability of emergency contraception after its deregulation from prescription-only status: a survey of Ontario pharmacies

Sheila Dunn, MD, Thomas E.R. Brown, PharmD and Jason Alldred, BSc Pharm

From the Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, and the Women's Health Research Institute (Dunn); the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto (Brown, Alldred); and the Department of Pharmacy, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (Brown), Toronto, Ont.

Correspondence to: Dr. Sheila Dunn, Family and Community Medicine, Women's College Hospital, 790 Bay St., 8th floor, Toronto ON M5G 1N8; fax 416 351-3727; sheila.dunn{at}wchospital.ca

In 2005 the emergency contraception formulation of levonorgestrel (Plan B) became available in Ontario pharmacies without a prescription. We surveyed 239 pharmacies 1 month before the regulatory change and 14–17 months after the change to determine whether availability of the drug increased. The response rates were 79% and 70% before and after the change in status. The proportion of pharmacies that had an in-stock supply of Plan B increased from 78% to 92% (p < 0.001). After the regulatory change, 87% of the surveyed pharmacies (95% confidence interval 82%–92%) reported that they had the drug in stock and were willing to dispense it behind the counter. Availability was similar for urban and rural pharmacies, but rural pharmacies had more restricted hours (e.g., 15% closed on weekends). Thus, as a result of the regulatory change, emergency contraception is more widely available, but access in rural areas is still limited by restricted pharmacy hours.


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Can. Med. Assoc. J. 2008 178: 365. [Full Text] [PDF]

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Can. Med. Assoc. J. 2008 178: 365. [Full Text] [PDF]