The Cost of the Name: Exploring Price Gaps in Oral Contraceptives

Authors

  • Charlotte Qi

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/pur.2025.129

Abstract

This study investigates the pricing gap between brand-name and generic oral contraceptives and examines how these disparities may affect affordability. While generic birth control pills are widely assumed to be the budget-friendly alternative, this paper explores whether a consistent pricing relationship exists between the two. Using regression analysis on U.S. pharmacy data, the results show that although generic pills are, on average, significantly less expensive than brand-name versions, the relationship between their prices is not statistically significant (Johnson, Patel, and Garcia 2021). In other words, knowing the cost of a generic pill does not reliably predict the cost of its brand-name counterpart. These findings underscore the complexity of pharmaceutical pricing and raise questions about how market dynamics, rather than just active ingredients, shape contraceptive costs. As nearly half of pregnancies in the United States are unintended, improving our understanding of what drives birth control pricing is critical for advancing reproductive access and equity (Guttmacher Institute 2020).

References

Guttmacher Institute. 2020. Unintended Pregnancy in the United States. https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/unintended-pregnancy-united-states.

Johnson, Alicia, Raj Patel, and Lucia Garcia. 2021. “Pricing Differences Between Generic and Name Brand Oral Contraceptives: A Comparative Analysis.” Journal of Reproductive Health 18 (2): 45–52. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-021-00432-0.

Smith, Julia, and Rachel Lee. 2022. “The Impact of Health Insurance on Contraceptive Affordability: A Survey Study.” American Journal of Public Health 112 (5): 740–746. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306610.

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Published

2025-11-03

How to Cite

Qi, C. (2025). The Cost of the Name: Exploring Price Gaps in Oral Contraceptives. Pittsburgh Undergraduate Review, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.5195/pur.2025.129

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 2 (2025): Pittsburgh Undergraduate Review

Section

Research

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Copyright (c) 2025 Charlotte Qi

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