The Japanese Government has finally given the go-ahead for use of the oral contraceptive pill after some 30 years of deliberation. The decision, by a key government committee, means the low-dose pill could be available to women as early as this autumn, according to the Health and Welfare Ministry. The central pharmaceutical affairs commission recommended the pill for approval as a prescription drug, and Health and Welfare Minister Sohei Miyashita is expected to rubber stamp the decision as soon as this month so that it can become available in October.
Japan is the only industrialised nation which prohibits use of the pill for contraceptive purposes.
Misleading' advice Campaigners on Wednesday welcomed the news that the contraceptive would finally be available to women in Japan. However Ms Ashida also urged the drug manufacturers to file fresh applications for new types of oral contraceptives. Initial demand for the pill is not expected to be high, as many Japanese women are wary of the pill because of the negative publicity it has received during the lengthy deliberations. 'Double standards' The BBC Correspondent in Tokyo, Juliet Hindell, says the protracted approval process was in sharp contrast to the rapid official acceptance of the blockbuster anti-impotency drug Viagra. It was approved in just six weeks and our correspondent says the public outcry over perceived sexual double standards may have helped the government's pharmaceutical affairs commission finally make up its mind to approve the contraceptive. Like Viagra, however, the pill will not be covered by national health insurance, the health ministry said.