Drug regulators and maker of a new contraceptive pill have agreed on a plan that would put the morning-after pill on the list of over-the-counter medicines within weeks. Barr Labs, the manufacturer of the new birth control pill, Plan B, said that it would resubmit a second application and Susan Bro, spokeswoman for the Food and Drug Administration said that the FDA would respond quickly.

The FDA has put off plan B in what critics believe was a move driven by political considerations.

Many anti-abortion groups see the wider availability of Plan B as an abortion drug. The drug agency called Plan B a contraceptive, not an abortion medicine. Abortion rights activists have requested for easier access to Plan B in order to reduce abortions.

The FDA has asked the new Barr application to restrict the over-the-counter sales to women older than 18. A prescription would enable girls under the age of 18 to use the drug.

The chairman of Barr, Bruce Dowey said, over-the-counter pills would be sold in clinics and pharmacies.

Mr. Dowey told the New York Times, he had hoped to make the drug available to women and girls of all ages "but I don't have the ability to get all that I want."

In addition, Barr was concerned if the health agency might want them to package over-the-counter and prescription medicine in different types of packaging. That might mean that pharmacies may not stock up on the prescription packages since most of the women who use the drug would be 18 or older.