Boots cuts the ‘sexist surcharge’ price of morning after pill to just £10

Boots has cut the price of one of the morning after pills it offers to just £10.

Last year, Boots was hit with backlash when it ran a 50 per cent off offer on the morning after pill for Black Friday.

Back in 2017, Boots was charging almost £30 for a box of emergency contraception, the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) reports. After campaigning from BPAS the price was reduced to £15.99, but campaigners said this was still too much.

“It’s a sexist surcharge and it needs to stop,” BPAS said. “We need to show big pharmacy chains that women’s reproductive needs aren’t here for their profit margins.”

Campaigners, led by MP Diana Johnson, have been calling on Boots to permanently lower the price of emergency contraception following Black Friday.

via Boots

You can now buy Levonorgestrel 1.5mg emergency contraception tablets for £10 from Boots. The pharmacist also offers two other branded types of morning after pill, for £33.25 and £26.49 respectively.

Journalist Rose Stokes, who was heavily involved in the campaign, said the new £10 price is a 40 per cent price reduction. She said: “I literally cannot put into words how delighted we all are & how much of a difference this will make to those that need this critical medicine most. I cried so hard when I heard!

“And though these barriers to access should never have existed in the first place (making it feel like a strange thing to celebrate), I am so proud of us all and of you all for demanding better from our healthcare providers.

“This will help so many people and will go some way to narrowing the gender health gap (though there’s still a looooong way to go).”

A spokesperson for Boots said: “As the UK’s leading healthcare retailer, we have an important role in ensuring women’s health products and services are accessible, whilst continuing to maintain our expert level of care. In line with our commitment to help more women access our Morning After Pill service with ease and convenience, from 1 February we will be reducing the price of this service. Prices for the service, which includes expert consultation and advice will start from £10.

“Our priority remains offering the highest standard of care to women, and we will continue to provide our expert pharmacy consultation and advice as an integral part of this service to support women in making the right choice for them. The Morning After Pill remains free on the NHS and in areas where a CCG has commissioned Boots to provide a Morning After Pill service on behalf of the NHS in England, the service is free. We welcome further commissioning of this service across more areas of England and stand ready to help.”

Stock featured image via Danilo Alvesd on Unsplash

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