If any further proof of the politicalization of the Plan B marketing is needed
(which there is none), this recent FDA Release on the oral hygiene product
should show what should have happened to Plan B, absent any conservative
religious agenda, if the FDA had any substantial concerns about women  under 16
years getting direct access to the product.  And it should underscore that FDA
need not create any new or novel marketing system for Plan B to approve its OTC
use.  Karl Rove makes a very poor  FDA Commissioner, de facto or de jure and
Crawford and Galson should have followed the existing law rather than cede their
responsbilities to a political  campaign.

 

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved a new prescription
treatment for gingivitis, a common gum disease that affects most adults at some
point in their lives. The Decapinol Oral Rinse treats gingivitis by
reducing the number of bacteria that attach to tooth surfaces and cause dental
plaque. Decapinol is approved for use in persons 12 years of age or
older when routine oral hygiene is not adequate to prevent gingivitis. Decapinol
is not recommended for use by pregnant women.