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| Helping pharmacy & health communities improve access to Emergency Contraception (EC) |
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AustraliaAs of January 1, 2004, emergency contraception in Australia will be reclassified as a Schedule 3 drug (PDF - 104K), allowing women to access it at a pharmacy without a prescription. The Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration National Drugs and Poisons Schedule Committee (NDPSC) announced this decision in December 2003. EC was previously a Schedule 4 drug, available by prescription only. To view the new protocol, click here (PDF - 80K). Schedule 3 drugs in Australia are known as pharmacist only medicines, and require the direct involvement of a pharmacist in their supply. Pharmacists are authorized to supply Schedule 3 drugs but need to provide professional advice on their safe use. The Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) is among the organizations that supported making EC a Schedule 3 drug. For more information about the current accessibility to EC, statistics about unplanned pregnancy and abortion in Australia, and arguments for pharmacy access to EC, please view their submission (PDF-72K) to the NDPSC. In 1999, the PHAA issued a policy statement (PDF-40K) regarding EC. Although the Australian Medical Association
initially expressed its opposition
(PDF-24K) to classify EC as a Schedule 3 drug, it offered qualified
support. Both Health Minister Tony Abbott and AMA president Bill Glasson have expressed concerns about regular use of emergency contraception. Read News Coverage For additional information: Resources from the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia
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