Birth Control

The New York Times has an article today about the process used to rule out Plan B as an OTC medication. The higher ups over at the FDA decided that it was not appropriate for adolescents even though the advisory committee voted 27 to 1 that it was. That is just bullshit. Second, they continued to play even lamer games after that:

In his rejection letter to Barr, Dr. Galson suggested two ways it could receive approval. First, it could perform another study that included more young adolescents. Or it could seek to sell the drug "behind-the-counter," making it easily available only to women 16 and older, with younger women still needing a prescription.
Barr took the second approach in an application filed in July 2004. Although the agency's rules required it to issue a decision in January, it has delayed doing so indefinitely.
It is unusual for the agency to suggest a means of approval to an applicant only to decide later that its own suggestion might not be appropriate.

That is just horseshit. I rarely get angry about women's rights but this makes me pissed. These people are cro-magnons. The last sentence is sort of entertainingly awkward, but hopefully true. It should read, "It is unethical for the agency...."