A top government scientist said yesterday that lobbying by political conservatives had not swayed his decision to overrule his staff and reject over-the-counter sales of an effective “morning-after” contraceptive.
The Food and Drug Administration’s rejection of the drug Thursday set off charges that conservative politics had overruled basic science. But yesterday, Dr. Steven Galson, acting director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said he would quickly review any new proposals from Barr Pharmaceuticals to sell the drug, called Plan B, without a prescription.
An advisory panel of outside experts voted 23-4 last December to make Plan B available without a prescription. Galson said he was troubled Barr did not provide data on whether girls age 11 to 14 could use the product safely without a doctor’s input.
“That really concerned me,” he said.
Plan B is currently available only by a doctor’s prescription. It is 90 percent effective if taken within 72 hours after sexual intercourse.