Obama Says Didn't Intervene In Plan B Decision, Supports It
08 Décembre 2011 - 8:24PM
Dow Jones News
President Barack Obama on Thursday said he didn't intervene in a
decision by his top health official to overrule the Food and Drug
commissioner to block the Plan B emergency contraceptive pill from
becoming available to young teens without a prescription.
Obama also said he supports the decision by Health and Human
Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Wednesday to step in and
prevent the FDA from approving a request by the drug's
manufacturer, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (TEVA, TEVA.TV),
to remove the current requirement that girls under age 17 need a
prescription for the drug.
It was the first time an HHS secretary has overruled an FDA
decision, according to an FDA spokeswoman.
Obama said "as the father of two daughters. I think it's
important for us to make sure that we apply some common sense to
various rules when it comes to over-the-counter medicine."
He said he was concerned that the medicine would be sold
alongside "bubblegum or batteries."
"And I think that most parents would feel the same way," he
said.
-By Jared A. Favole, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-9256;
jared.favole@dowjones.com