Media Center: Press Release

New York, NY—President Bush nominated Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach on Wednesday to serve as commissioner for the Food and Drug Administration. He has been acting commissioner of the FDA since September, when the previous commissioner resigned. PRCH released the following statement today from board chair Dr. Wendy Chavkin:

"The FDA has spent the past three years stalling a decision on over-the-counter access to Plan B, a form of emergency contraception. There is overwhelming scientific evidence that greater access to emergency contraception would decrease rates of unintended pregnancy in the United States by as much as 50 percent. Two FDA panels have approved nonprescription status for this drug by wide margins, yet the FDA's commissioners have repeatedly stalled the approval process. An independent investigation last year by the Government Accountability Office found that the FDA's decisions on Plan B were highly irregular and ignored scientific data about the safety and efficacy of the drug.

"Giving women timely access to emergency contraception is a public health imperative, and these delays are unconscionable. Women have been waiting nearly three years now for over-the-counter access to a safe, effective form of emergency contraception. Senators Hillary Clinton and Patty Murray have promised to block Dr. von Eschenbach's nomination until the FDA makes a decision about Plan B. Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health supports the Senators' action and joins them in calling for a conclusion to this endless delay. It is time for the FDA to heed its own scientific evidence and allow women over-the-counter access to emergency contraception."

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