Contraceptive Pearl: New FDA REMS Requirement on Nexplanon

Washington State Health Care Authority sent this bulletin at 04/03/2026 08:00 AM PDT

April 3, 2026

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New FDA REMS Requirement on Nexplanon

This bulletin is being sent by the Health Care Authority (HCA) in partnership with the Reproductive Health Access Project (RHAP).

Written by Nikeeta Shah, DO, MPH

On February 23, 2026, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a new risk evaluation and mitigation strategies (REMS) certification requirement for all clinicians who offer the contraceptive implant Nexplanon. The Nexplanon, or implant, is a safe and commonly used form of long-acting contraception.¹ It is a rod-shaped progestin-only contraception that is inserted subdermally into the upper arm. It contains 68 mg of etonogestrel, which is slowly released over time and is more than 99% effective at preventing pregnancy.²

For clinicians, one of the main differences in provision between the Nexplanon and other forms of contraception is the training requirement. As part of the FDA update, all clinicians must now complete a 90-minute online module and attend an in-person training through the pharmaceutical company Organon to be able to insert and remove the Nexplanon. If you completed the training before 2018, you would have had to complete a recertification due to the change in the recommended placement location. If you have not done the recertification, you must redo the online and in-person trainings. The FDA’s REMS certification is a new additional step required subsequent to these trainings.

Learn more about the new FDA REMS requirement on Nexplanon.

Read the full Contraceptive Pearl article

References

See RHAP's original post for sources.

About HCA and RHAP partnership

HCA and RHAP are partnering to support the reproductive health provider community’s access to accurate evidence-based clinical information.

If you are an enrolled Apple Health provider, HCA will pay to print items from the RHAP resource library.

Materials such as the birth control choices fact sheet or MEC for initiating contraception chart are available for bulk printing.

To order bulk printing

Email: Brandy Bautista
Include the following information:

"Washington Health Care Authority" in the body of the email
Items you'd like to order
Quantities
Business address
Delivery address (if different than your business address)

Contact

Email: Andrea Estes, Sexual and Reproductive Health Programs Innovation Manager at HCA, with questions regarding this partnership.

About the Health Care Authority (HCA)

Functioning as both the state's largest health care purchaser and its behavioral health authority, the Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) is a leader in ensuring Washington residents have the opportunity to be as healthy as possible.

There are three pillars of our work: Apple Health (Medicaid); the Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) and School Employees Benefits Board (SEBB) programs; and behavioral health and recovery. Under these pillars, HCA purchases health care, including behavioral health treatment for more than 2.7 million Washington residents and provides behavioral health prevention, crisis, and recovery supports to all Washington residents.

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