The latest bid for oral contraceptives to be sold over the counter in pharmacies has failed, with the TGA warning that women will miss out on HPV tests and other preventive health screening.

The regulator also stressed that the risk of adverse events associated with the substances such as venous thromboembolism and heavy bleeding confirmed the need for GP oversight.

In its final decision published last month, it said down-scheduling oral contraceptives “carries with it requirements for not only clinical screening, assessment, and follow-up, but record-keeping and information sharing between doctors and pharmacists”.

The TGA acknowledged that oral contraceptives provide additional health benefits to women by lowering the risk of ovarian, endometrial and colorectal cancer.