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Sale of Plan B Contraceptive Splits New York Pharmacists

Posted on: Wednesday, 6 July 2005, 21:01 CDT

Jul. 6--Huntington pharmacist Ron Wood can't imagine refusing to sell an emergency contraceptive called Plan B to women who want to avoid pregnancy after unprotected sex.

"I can't see anybody justifying why they wouldn't sell it," says Wood, owner of the North Shore Pharmacy.

But across the country, that's exactly what some pharmacists are doing rather than stocking the controversial, two-tablet prescription drug sometimes called the "morning after" pill.

A political maelstrom with abortion at its heart -- specifically, whether the drug's action is considered abortion or pregnancy prevention -- has these pharmacists fired up.

In some other states, pharmacists who argue that Plan B causes abortions have refused to sell the pills. Some belong to a group called Pharmacists for Life International, based in Ohio.

In June, the New York State Senate joined the Assembly in passing a bill that would allow sale of Plan B without a prescription. Seven states -- Alaska, California, Maine, Washington, Hawaii, New Mexico and New Hampshire -- have laws similar to the New York bill.

Conservatives have urged Gov. George Pataki, who is known to have presidential aspirations, not to sign the bill.

Pharmacist Lloyd DuPlantis owns Lloyd's Remedies -- described on its Web site as a "Pro-Life, Pro-Family Pharmacy" -- in rural Gray, La. "We're opposed to it [Plan B] because of its primary mode of operation," says DuPlantis, a regional director for Pharmacists for Life who says the drug causes abortions.

But Barr Pharmaceuticals, the Pomona, N.Y., manufacturer of Plan B, says the drug stops pregnancy by preventing implantation of a fertilized egg in the uterus. Plan B is not RU-486, a drug that ends pregnancy by dislodging the embryo.

Plan B was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1999 for prescription use. It is designed to be taken within 72 hours after unprotected sex.

Eliminating the need to get a prescription would help women get the pills quickly, and Barr has asked the FDA to give Plan B over-the-counter status.

But last year, the FDA overruled its advisory panel and rejected Barr's over-the-counter proposal, citing the drug's potential effect on teenage girls. In January, Barr submitted a new proposal, calling for over-the-counter status limited to customers 16 and older. The FDA has not announced a decision, even as social conservatives and the anti-abortion lobby have opposed Plan B.

Recently, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) cited the FDA's inaction in voting against nominating Acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Lester Crawford as commissioner. Crawford's nomination is still in limbo.

Under the New York bill, pharmacists could obtain a broad doctor's prescription covering the sale of Plan B to almost all women. Pharmacists would undergo special training to help them counsel women to ensure Plan B poses no health risks for them.

So far, there is little evidence that anti-abortion groups have tried to prevent sale of Plan B in New York pharmacies.

"I'm not against selling it," says Chandra Gajulapalli, owner of the Little Neck Drugstore in Queens, who characterized his views as backing abortion rights.

At Dale Drug in Valley Stream, pharmacist Robert DeVivo said he would sell Plan B to any woman who wanted it.

Carol Hively, a Walgreens spokeswoman, said pharmacists in the chain who object to selling Plan B must arrange for customers to buy it from another pharmacist. Rite Aid spokeswoman Julie Vastyan said the Pennsylvania-based chain has a similar policy.

The 52,000-member American Pharmacists Association supports legislation like the New York bill and suggests pharmacists who don't want to sell Plan B arrange for someone else to do so. Kelli Conlon, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice New York which lobbied heavily for the Plan B bill, doesn't expect many problems from pharmacists. "In fact, a law in New York City says if a pharmacist won't sell it, you have to put up a sign saying it's not offered so a woman won't have to expose herself to being lectured by an extremist pharmacist," Conlon said.

At the New York State Catholic Conference, which opposed the bill, spokesman Dennis Proust said the group won't pressure pharmacists.

"We certainly would understand if pharmacists were reluctant to sell it," Proust said.

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BRL,

Source: Newsday, Melville, N.Y.

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