Over 80% in Japan morning-after pill sales trial want to buy without prescription: report

TOKYO — Over 80% of women who purchased morning-after pills in an ongoing trial of over-the-counter sales for the birth control drugs said they’d like to skip going to the doctor and buy them directly from pharmacists if they used them again, according to a health ministry report.

Believing there is a strong demand for the products at pharmacies, the Japan Pharmaceutical Association is looking to expand the number of drug stores involved in the sales trial. This is to gather more data on the challenges and potential measures to deal with issues presented by selling morning-after pills over the counter.

Higher hurdles than in other countries

Emergency contraceptives prevent unwanted pregnancies by being ingested within 72 hours of intercourse, slowing the release of eggs and thereby lowering the likelihood of becoming pregnant. They have a roughly 80% success rate, and calls for them to be available without a prescription are growing to allow women to avoid unwanted pregnancies due to circumstances such as the failure of conventional contraceptives or sexual violence.

They can be bought without prescriptions at places such as pharmacies or online in around 90 countries and territories worldwide. According to a survey of eight countries including the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan itself by the Japanese health ministry, the products are sold overseas for under 6,000 yen (approx. $40). In contrast, in Japan a prescription obtained through a doctor’s visit or online consultation is required, and the price is in the range of 7,000 to 9,000 yen.

‘A certain level of demand’: health ministry

The Japan Pharmaceutical Association was entrusted with the trial sale by the health ministry, and it began at the end of November 2023 at 145 pharmacies. There are between two and six participating pharmacies in each prefecture, each of which must have one or more pharmacists trained in dispensing the products, be able to fulfil requests at night or over weekends, have private rooms for consultations, and be able to work with a nearby obstetrics and gynecology clinic or department. The trial has been available for women at least 16 years old, with parental consent and accompaniment required for 16- and 17-year-olds.

According to a survey project report released by the health ministry this past May, the actual number of cases where pills were sold from Nov. 28, 2023, to Jan. 31 of this year was 2,181. The most were sold in metropolitan Tokyo, with 266 cases, followed by 231 in Kanagawa Prefecture and 169 in Osaka Prefecture. There were five prefectures, including Yamaguchi and Yamagata, where sales totaled fewer than 10.

Surveys of purchasers were conducted right after using the drug and three to five weeks later. The first survey had 1,634 respondents and the second had 1,063. A total of 82.2% said if they needed to take emergency contraceptives again, they wished to skip going to the doctor and buy them at pharmacies without prescriptions. A health ministry official said, “We confirmed that there is a certain level of demand.”

Regarding the consultations with pharmacists, 91.8% of respondents felt “very satisfied,” while 84.8% said the same of the attention paid to their privacy. Moreover, 99.8% said they understood the pharmacists’ explanations well.

On the other hand, just 38.4% said they were very satisfied with the pricing, showing that many felt the contraceptives were too expensive.

The Japan Pharmaceutical Association is proceeding with adjustments to further increase the number of participating pharmacies. A timeframe for the increase is to be determined, but pharmacies will reportedly be added as informational materials for pharmacists on how to respond to prospective purchasers and about the medications are prepared.

(Japanese original by Ayaka Kondo, Digital News Group)