Boots apologises for response to calls to cut cost of morning-after pill

Boots said it was "truly sorry" for its response to calls to cut the cost of one of its morning-after pills.

The pharmaceutical company came under fire after it told the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) it was avoiding "incentivising inappropriate use".

It now said it was looking at cheaper alternatives to the Levonelle brand.

The firm added, it "sincerely" apologised for its "poor choice of words" over the emergency contraception pricing.

The progestogen-based drug Levonelle cost £28.25 in Boots, while a non-branded equivalent priced at £26.75.

Claire Murphy from the BPAS while welcoming the move by Boots, said it would keep up the pressure on the chain.

"Women struggle to access emergency contraception and the cost is a key barrier," she said.

"It's been wonderful to hear the women, and the men, of this country stand up and really make their voices heard in response to the position Boots originally took."

But according to Laura Perrins from the blog Conservative Women, condemning a pharmacy for setting a price on a particular drug was itself a "form of moralising".

She added Boots should not be forced to reduce the cost, saying Levonelle "is a drug that is unlike others and is a drug that can be given to under-age girls without parental consent".

Boots had been criticised for refusing to reduce the cost of the emergency contraceptive. It said making it cheaper might mean it was "misused or overused".

The company had come under attack from Labour MPs as it had taken an "unacceptable" moral position and health campaigners claimed women were being hit with a "sexist surcharge".

A spokesman for the chain said, "Pharmacy and care for customers are at the heart of everything we do and as such we are truly sorry that our poor choice of words in describing our position on emergency hormonal contraception (EHC) has caused offence and misunderstanding, and we sincerely apologise", news.sky.com reported.