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Taiwan plans emergency contraception pilot by year-end as pharmacists urge inclusion of UPA

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Taiwan plans to formulate by the end of the year a pilot system offering emergency contraception through either doctors or trained pharmacists.
  • Pharmacists support improving access but urge the government to include both levonorgestrel and ulipristal acetate.
  • The proposed pilot could begin early next year, with pharmacists referring women to doctors when medical assessment remains necessary.

Taiwan is preparing a pilot that could let women obtain emergency contraception through either a doctor’s prescription or a trained pharmacist. The Food and Drug Administration plans to draft the system and its supporting measures by the end of the year, with implementation targeted for early next year.

The proposed model would follow Japan’s approach. Eligible pharmacies and pharmacists who complete professional training would provide services under standard procedures. If an assessment showed that a woman needed medical care, the pharmacist would refer her to a healthcare facility, where a doctor could examine her and issue a prescription.

Li Yi-hsuan, deputy secretary-general of Taiwan’s pharmacists’ association, said the move toward greater access was positive. She urged officials to settle the details carefully, including whether women would still have to visit a doctor after buying the medicine or could choose for themselves. She also said the system should not make women who use emergency contraception under pressure feel punished.

The move toward social progress is positive and worthy of recognition, but the government should carefully consider the supporting measures.

— Li Yi-hsuanTaiwan’s pharmacists’ association official welcomed the proposed access changes while calling for safeguards.

Two common active ingredients are under discussion. Levonorgestrel, the ingredient currently considered for the pilot, works best when taken within 72 hours, and its effectiveness declines with delay. Ulipristal acetate can be used within a longer window of at least 120 hours. Li said several developed countries already regulate UPA as a nonprescription medicine and argued that Taiwan should consider including it rather than limiting the pilot to levonorgestrel.

She warned that opening only one ingredient to the dual-track system could leave consumers with limited choices. Li said UPA has been available for more than a decade without especially serious adverse reactions and that public-health needs justify considering both ingredients together.

Taiwan has discussed switching levonorgestrel for more than 10 years. Should we wait another 10 years, or catch up now and give women more choices?

— Li Yi-hsuanShe urged officials to consider UPA alongside levonorgestrel in the pilot.
About this summary

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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