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Objective: The objective of the study was to determine whether the 2006 Food and Drug Administration approval of Plan B for behind-the-counter status increased availability., Study Design: We conducted a survey in 2005 and 2007 of pharmacies listed in Atlanta, GA, Boston, MA, and Philadelphia, PA. We measured ability to dispense Plan B within 24 hours. Also measured were reasons for lack of availability and cost of Plan B., Results: Pharmacists were interviewed at 1087 pharmacies (75% response rate) in 2005 and 795 pharmacies (82% response rate) in 2007. In 2007, 8% of pharmacies were unable to provide Plan B within 24 hours, compared with 23% of pharmacies in 2005 (P < .001). The total refusal rate in 2007 was half the rate of 2005 (2% vs 4%, P = .004). The average cost of Plan B was $43., Conclusion: Availability of Plan B in Atlanta and Philadelphia increased after it was awarded behind-the-counter status.

Objective: The availability of emergency contraception (EC) depends on pharmacy stocking practices and pharmacist willingness to dispense the medication. We aimed to describe the availability of EC in areas governed by different state policies regarding pharmacist behavior., Study Design: A telephone survey was conducted between October 1 and December 31, 2005, of every pharmacy listed in the metropolitan areas of Atlanta, Philadelphia and Boston. We asked whether pharmacies could fill a prescription for EC within 24 h and, if not, why not., Results: We interviewed pharmacists at 1085 pharmacies (response rate of 75%). Overall, 23% were unable to fill a prescription for EC within 24 h. The rate of being unable to fill was 35% in Atlanta, 23% in Philadelphia and 4% in Boston (p<.001). Refusal rates were low: 4% overall; 8% in Atlanta; 3% in Philadelphia and 0% in Boston., Conclusions: Variation in state policy predicted the availability of EC. The most common reason for not being able to fill a prescription within 24 h was not having the medication in stock.