"Expanding knowledge and access
to emergency contraception"
"Expanding knowledge and access to emergency contraception in Europe"
January 2025. Two studies published in 2023 and 2025 provide the first empirical evidence on the impacts of introducing over-the-counter (OTC) emergency contraception (EC) in Europe. Both studies find that removing prescription requirements leads to substantial increases in EC use. A 2023 study by Gregor Pfeifer and Mirjam Stockburger (Journal of Health Economics) shows that…
Upcoming webinar hosted by the European Consortium for Emergency Contraception, featuring a conversation with Prof. Dr. Mirjam Stockburger, Data Economist at the Faculty of Economics and Business Studies of the Justus Liebig University Giessen. Wednesday, 4 February 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM CET (Barcelona, Berlin, Paris)Online event (registration required) The discussion will focus on findings…
January 2026. A new nationwide German study examined the pricing of emergency contraceptive (EC) pills in community pharmacies. Using a mystery caller methodology, 392 randomly selected pharmacies were asked about EC availability and prices. The study found substantial price variation, particularly for ulipristal acetate (UPA). Prices for UPA ranged from €17.00 to €43.71, while levonorgestrel…
January 2026 — In December 2025, European Union (EU) institutions reached a political agreement on a revised Victims’ Rights Directive confirming that survivors of sexual violence have the right to access sexual and reproductive healthcare, including emergency contraception, abortion care, and STI testing, where permitted under national law. This agreement marks the first time EU…
January 2026. According to the independent outlet Meduza, “since September 2025, Russia’s federal censorship agency, Roskomnadzor, has blocked websites accused of “promoting refusal of childbirth””, including pages that provided information on and access to emergency contraception (EC) pills. The Emergency Contraception Storage Fund, a grassroots initiative to secure access to EC pills, was forced to…
December 2025. ECEC and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) have come together to merge their data on mifepristone for medical abortion and ulipristal acetate (UPA) for emergency contraception, with the aim of shedding light on the actual global availability of these essential medicines. A summary of this joint analysis has now been published in…
December 2025. A mystery-caller study from the Neubrandenburg University of Applied Sciences shows that more than half of German community pharmacies give advice on emergency contraception (EC) that does not align with national guidelines. In a scenario where EC was not medically indicated — a combined pill taken less than 12 hours late — only…
November — The World Health Organization (WHO) has released the latest edition of its Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use (MEC), updating global guidance on the safety of contraceptive methods for people with specific health conditions or characteristics. A key change concerns emergency contraception (EC). For the first time, the MEC clearly states that EC…
November 2025. The European Consortium for Emergency Contraception (ECEC) has released a new publication bringing together recent data on knowledge and use of emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) from 23 countries. Although population-level studies on contraceptive practices have expanded in recent years, information on ECP use remains inconsistent, unsystematized, and often unpublished. To help address this,…
October 2025. World Health Organization’s (WHO) toolkit on Clinical Management of Rape and Intimate Partner Violence in Emergencies: Training Curriculum for Health Workers and Facilitator Guide is now available in Arabic, French, and Spanish here. Session 11, focused on clinical treatment and care for survivors of sexual assault, includes guidance on the provision of ulipristal…
October 2025 — Last September, the World Health Organization (WHO) published the 24th Model List of Essential Medicines (EML). Levonorgestrel (LNG) emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) have been included in the EML since 1999, and ulipristal acetate (UPA) ECPs since 2017, underscoring their continued importance in ensuring access to safe and effective reproductive health options. Essential…
October 2025. Today, ASKA Pharmaceutical, the marketing authorization holder of Japan’s only emergency contraceptive pill (ECP), announced it has received official approval to make the product available over the counter (OTC). This means people in Japan will soon be able to obtain emergency contraception directly from pharmacies without a prescription. This marks a historic milestone…
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