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How Pill became a lifestyle drug: The pharmaceutical industry and birth control in the United States since 1960

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  • Watkins, E.S.

Abstract

Marketing decisions, rather than scientific innovations, have guided the development and positioning of contraceptive products in recent years. I review the stalled progress in contraceptive development in the decades following the advent of the Pill in 1960 and then examine the fine-tuning of the market for oral contraceptives in the 1990s and 2000s. Although birth control has been pitched in the United States as an individual solution, rather than a public health strategy, the purpose of oral contraceptives was understood by manufacturers, physicians, and consumers to be the prevention of pregnancy, a basic health care need for women. Since 1990, the content of that message has changed, reflecting a shift in the drug industry's view of the contraception business. Two factors contributed to bring about this change: first, the industry's move away from research and development in birth control and second, the growth of the class of medications known as lifestyle drugs.

Suggested Citation

  • Watkins, E.S., 2012. "How Pill became a lifestyle drug: The pharmaceutical industry and birth control in the United States since 1960," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 102(8), pages 1462-1472.
    • Handle: RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2012.300706_1
    DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2012.300706
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    Cited by:

    1. Le Guen, Mireille & Schantz, Clémence & Régnier-Loilier, Arnaud & de La Rochebrochard, Elise, 2021. "Reasons for rejecting hormonal contraception in Western countries: A systematic review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 284(C).
    2. Annarita Macchioni Giaquinto, 2022. "The power of the (red) pill in Europe: pharmaceutical innovation and female empowerment," Working Papers 2022:09, Department of Economics, University of Venice "Ca' Foscari".
    3. Geampana, Alina, 2016. "Pregnancy is more dangerous than the pill: A critical analysis of professional responses to the Yaz/Yasmin controversy," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 9-16.

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