Author: Cristina Puig

December 2023. The Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition (RHSC) and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) just published 9th edition of The Family Planning Market Report (2023). Featuring data from 17 suppliers, the report looks into public sector contraceptive procurement in low- and lower-middle income countries. The report is an excellent information and analysis tool for…

November. According to Kyodo news agency, the trial of a new modality to dispense  emergency contraception pills (ECPs) without a prescription in Japan, began on November 28. The Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry will test out this modality in 145 pharmacies (of more than 60.000 in the country). Japan is one of the few northern hemisphere countries where…

Novembre 2023. In Honduras, Optio developed Spanish versions of emergency contraception (EC) educational tools, to strengthen EC knowledge among health providers and community workers within Ashonplafa‘s network. In particular, the materials translated and adapted to the local context include: In Honduras, the reintroduction of EC was announced in March; by August, LNG ECPs were already…

November 2023 – The European Parliamentarian Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Health (EPF) launched the SRHR Policy Hub, an interactive platform through which country by country data from the Global Contraception Policy Atlas can be visualized, compared and downloaded. The Global Contraception Policy Atlas includes information on emergency contraception (EC) registration status, provision of EC…

ECEC brings together key stakeholders to foster a common vision of how evidence- and rights-based dispensing of emergency contraception (EC) should be in over-the-counter (OTC) and behind-the-counter (BTC) settings, where different EC pills are available directly from community pharmacies. September 2023. Two years ago, ECEC and YouAct conducted a participatory survey, to better understand access…

September 2023. In Australia, some pharmacies still require women to fill out a written form, in order to obtain EC. The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) created a form when EC pills were first introduced in the country (in the early 2000) but its use is no longer required nor recommended. This has triggered a…

August 2023. DKT International and ECEC just published a brief that summarizes emergency contraception pills (ECPs) sales data from Social Marketing Programs in low- and middle-income countries, in the past 10 years. Emergency Contraception Pills Sales in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Data from Social Marketing Programs, reveals that ECPs experienced a remarkable growth during this…

July 2023. The registration of the first LNG EC pill has already been approved by Honduras authorities in July. According to local news outlets, the spokesperson from the Health Regulation Agency said that the Agency “recognizes the importance of this medicine for women’s reproductive health, which is why rigorous criteria have been established to ensure…

July 2023. The Key Indicators Report of the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, published in January, provides new data on EC use among currently married women and sexually active unmarried women from different regions of the country. The survey was implemented by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) in collaboration with the Ministry…

June 2023. Health authorities in Japan announced the piloting of a new modality to dispense emergency contraception (EC) pills through pharmacies. Until now a prescription from a gynecologist was required to buy an EC pill. Only LNG EC pills are available in Japan. The pill and the consultation with the doctor (which is mandatory) cost…