Emergency contraception will still require doctor's prescription: TFDA

Taipei, March 6 (CNA) Emergency contraceptive pills will continue to require a doctor's prescription for the time being, according to the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) on Thursday, after a multi-stakeholder meeting the same day failed to reach a consensus over whether to reclassify the drug as an over-the-counter medication.

The TFDA invited representatives from the Ministry of Education (MOE), the Department of Gender Equality of the Executive Yuan, civil society groups, the pharmaceutical industry and other stakeholders to discuss the potential relaxation of rules governing the so-called "morning-after pill."

However, opinions were divided as to whether to reclassify emergency contraception to enable it to be available for purchase at pharmacies without a doctor's prescription -- which is currently required.

Speaking in support of deregulation, pharmacist Li Yi-hsuan (李懿軒) from the Federation of Taiwan Pharmacists Associations pointed out that the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends making emergency contraception available as a backup when regular contraception fails.

He also said that "80 percent of developed countries" -- including the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia -- have already reclassified emergency contraceptive pills as over-the-counter medications.

The Taipei Women's Rescue Foundation, a civil society group, also said that "emergency contraceptive pills are not high-risk medications" and that greater availability would "protect women from the risk of forced or unexpected pregnancy and safeguard their bodily and reproductive autonomy."

However, speaking in opposition to the proposal, Secretary General of the Taiwan Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology Huang Jian-pei (黃建霈) said that emergency contraceptive medicines could "lead to problems if used without understanding the risks."

Huang, who is also the director of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at MacKay Memorial Hospital, cited an example of a woman who misinterpreted vaginal bleeding as her menstrual period.

She died from a ruptured ectopic pregnancy after taking emergency contraception because she "had not taken the bleeding seriously," he said.

TFDA Deputy Director-General Wang Der-yuan (王德原) explained after the meeting that the discussion involved social science, natural science and human rights considerations, and that "there is no zero-risk decision."

The issue of whether to reclassify emergency contraception had been raised as early as 2016 by the TFDA, but the proposal was shelved due to a social backlash at the time.

On Tuesday, Taiwan People's Party (TPP) lawmaker Lin Yi-chun (林憶君) called for emergency contraceptives to be changed from prescription drugs to over-the-counter medication at Taiwan's Legislative Yuan.

"An online survey in 2024 found that 65 percent of [Taiwanese] women supported making it available," Lin said.

Taiwan's Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) responded by saying he had already asked Health Minister Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源) to coordinate with the medical community and reach a consensus as soon as possible on the issue.