ABCs of Plan B

'Morning-after' pill available in drugstores next week

November 8, 2006

BY JIM RITTER Health Reporter

An over-the-counter "morning-after" pill now being shipped to drug stores should be available to consumers by next week, its manufacturer said Tuesday.

The pill, Plan B, reduces the risk of pregnancy after unprotected sex by 89 percent. It initially was available by prescription only, but this limited its effectiveness -- the longer after sex the pill is taken, the less effective it becomes.