Expanding Access to Oral Contraceptive Pills: Do Consumers Prefer Over-the-Counter Availability?

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Health
• Pharmaceutical Policy
• Consumer Preferences

Background:

• Expanding access to oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) via over-the-counter (OTC) reclassification could reduce contraceptive barriers.
• Australian consumer preferences for OTC OCP access are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify Australian women's preferences for accessing OCPs over-the-counter.
• To identify factors influencing the uptake and switching to OTC OCPs.

Main Methods:

• A discrete choice experiment (DCE) with 878 Australian women (OCP users and non-users).
• DCE evaluated preferences based on access method, provider training, consultation scope, time, and cost.
• Mixed logit models analyzed preferences for OTC OCP access attributes.

Main Results:

• Women not using OCPs favored OTC access; current users showed less preference.
• Online GP and non-private pharmacist consultations were disliked.
• High predicted uptake for OTC OCPs occurred with government funding, trained pharmacists, comprehensive consultations, and short duration.
• Current OCP users were more likely to switch if facing GP co-payments.
• Younger, high-income women, and those with greater autonomy supported OTC access.

Conclusions:

• OTC OCP access is likely acceptable to many Australian women.
• Key factors for acceptability include trained pharmacists, affordable, private, and comprehensive consultations.
• Careful policy design is essential to ensure acceptability, informed choices, and public health benefits.