An expert panel of Japan's health ministry has agreed that Aska Pharmaceutical will be given approval to make and sell its emergency contraceptive pill Norlevo without a prescription.

At a meeting Friday, the panel also agreed that the product will be classified as a drug that must be taken in the presence of a trained pharmacist for safety reasons.

If the ministry grants the manufacturing and sales approval and the designation, Norlevo will be the country's first nonprescription emergency contraceptive pill. Sales may begin by year-end.

The panel decided not to set an age limit for access. But for individuals under 16, the age of consent to sexual acts, pharmacists would provide guidance as needed.

Parental consent would no longer be required. Sales methods will be discussed at a later date.

The revised pharmaceuticals and medical devices law, enacted in May, established a category for specified drugs requiring face-to-face instructions from pharmacists. Norlevo is expected to be the first drug in this category.

Currently, a doctor's examination and prescription are required to obtain so-called morning-after pills in Japan.

In May, a group of experts set up by the ministry released a report identifying problems with possible over-the-counter sales of such pills. Since 2023, the ministry has been conducting trial sales without prescriptions at some pharmacies for those aged 16 and older.

Norlevo can prevent unwanted pregnancies when taken orally within 72 hours of sexual intercourse, according to Aska Pharmaceutical. In June last year, the Tokyo-based company submitted an application to sell the product without a prescription.