MENOPAUSE hormone pills will be available without a prescription for the first time from September.
UK pharmacies will get powers to dish out certain hormone replacement therapy over the counter.
The move is part of a drive to boost women’s health by improving access to HRT.
A vaginal pill called Gina, which has been used on the NHS for 30 years to ease dryness and improve women’s sex lives, is the first to get the green light.
The government was forced to act on HRT access after critical medicines ran out of stock in the spring, with patient woes revealed by The Sun's Fabulous Menopause Matters campaign.
Health minister Maria Caulfield said: “Making Gina available over the counter is a huge step forward in enabling women to access HRT as easily as possible.
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“We’re continuing to work with suppliers and manufacturers to secure sustainable short-term and long-term access to HRT.”
The pills will go on sale after the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency ruled it is safe for pharmacists to decide who can take them.
Women will chat with a pharmacist instead of having a GP appointment to decide if the treatment is right for them.
Gina is a low-dose drug containing 10 micrograms of the female sex hormone estradiol.
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It is absorbed by the lining of the vagina to ease dryness, pain and itching which are common for women in the menopause.
Dr Laura Squire, from the MHRA, said: “This is a landmark reclassification for the millions of women in the UK who are going through the menopause.
“It increases women’s access to treatment and gives them greater choice while relieving pressure on frontline GP services.”
The MHRA said the move could pave the way for similar decisions on other drugs in future.
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It comes after ministers were forced to restrict HRT prescriptions and appoint a HRT tsar in the spring when supplies of some drugs ran low.
Marc Donovan, Chief Pharmacist at Boots, said: “Boots welcomes the reclassification of Gina 10 microgram vaginal tablets to a pharmacy medicine, making this type of HRT more accessible to those who need it".
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