Contraceptive Drugs Market Trends

Global Contraceptive Drugs Market Overview

Contraceptive Drugs Market Size was valued at USD 20.32 Billion in 2023. The Global Contraceptive Drugs industry is projected to grow from USD 21.58 Billion in 2024 to USD 34.91 Billion by 2032, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.01% during the forecast period (2024 - 2032). Contraceptives drugs are used to prevent pregnancy and are one of the methods used to control birth. Oral contraceptives are hormonal preparations that may contain combinations of the hormone’s estrogen and progestin or progestin alone.

Perrigo’s prescription-free contraceptive pill ‘Opill’ which received permission to be sold over-the-counter in September 2023, would be available at stores “in the coming weeks” by March 2024. Perrigo, a company specializing in consumer self-care products, stated this week that Opill has been shipped to all major U.S. retailers and drugstores and will hit the shelves this month. The FDA approved Opill for sale last July, making it the first birth control pill in America that can be purchased without a doctor’s prescription each day. Also, from now on, according to Perrigo, Opill could be preordered through certain online retailers.

The University launched a pharmacy delivery service for healthcare products last Monday with two local pharmacies where students can order over-the-counter items such as low-cost emergency contraception pills. This comes after more than one year of student concerns about access to medication following the closure of Forty Acres Pharmacy in 2021. Depending on whether they want their items delivered from Tarrytown Pharmacy or H-E-B Pharmacy on Trinity Street, students can order healthcare products from the University Health Services website. Although H-E-B has the ability to deliver a product to any off-campus residence located within a 10-mile radius of its store, Tarrytown Pharmacy delivers exclusively to university-owned locations such as on-campus dormitories and 2400 Nueces.

Lupin Pharma (Lupin) told it had started selling Merzee capsules in USA. Today, Mumbai-based Lupin Limited announced that this generic drug was launched through an exclusivity agreement with Slayback Pharma LLC, an American company that first introduced the product in February this year. According to IQVIA MAT data for February 2022, Taytulla by Allergan Pharmaceuticals sold about USD90 million worth of medicine per year. This is a generic version of Allergan Pharmaceuticals' Taytulla capsules which were estimated for having yearly sales at $90 million in the US according to IQVIA MAT data for February 2022.

The contraceptive drugs market is driven by factors such as the need to prevent the rising rate of unintended pregnancies and increasing awareness about contraceptive pills.

Additionally, the rise in government and NGO initiatives to promote contraceptive methods, easy use, and low costs of contraceptive drugs is anticipated to fuel the market growth.

For instance, according to the United Nations study ‘global perspectives on unplanned pregnancies’, globally, more than 41% of the 208 million pregnancies that occur each year are unplanned.

On the other hand, side effects associated with the use of contraceptive drugs is projected to hamper the growth of the market during the assessment period.

Moreover, major companies in the market are involved in strategic acquisitions, collaborations, mergers, and new product launch to sustain their position in the market.

For instance, in April 2018, Mylan launched generic oral contraceptive Yaz tablets, which supported the company's growth in the global market.

Contraceptive Drugs Market Trends

The choice for modern methods, such as oral contraceptive pills, injectable contraceptives, and topical medicines, is changing away from traditional methods due to technological developments and a growing understanding of current contraceptive methods. Traditional treatments and medications have a lower success rate than contemporary approaches and provide only modest protection against STDs. As a result, the general public adopts and uses modern methods like sterilization, tablets, and other items at a rising rate. Through numerous campaigns and public awareness initiatives, non-profit organizations and local, regional, and national healthcare institutions increasingly focus on enhancing women's health and sexual wellness. These for-profit and non-profit groups encourage the use of contraception methods and raise public knowledge of them, including a rising preference for some of them.

The concentration on educating the general public about accessible contraceptive methods is growing due to growing worry over the world's population's rapid growth. This element has played a critical role in raising public understanding of the benefits of using contraception and the range of contraceptive alternatives, particularly in developing nations. The governments of various nations have also acknowledged the need to stop the rise in unintended pregnancies and have started several efforts to inform the public and stop the growth of unintended pregnancies and abortions. One of them is the use of contraceptive tablets. Acquiring and using contraceptives is a fundamental private right protected by the US Constitution. Additionally, domestic and international players' launch of OTC medications and other products resulted in higher adoption and fueled the market growth.

The main driver of the market expansion for contraceptive medications is the growing emphasis of major manufacturers and healthcare organizations on raising awareness of contraception options. Several issues, such as supply chain disruption, were blamed for this large revenue drop. Additionally, there have been substantial disruptions in many countries' contraception and family planning services. Increased prevalence of STDs, the number of unplanned pregnancies, and a rise in government activities are some factors driving the market's expansion. Unwanted pregnancies are a huge concern since they are growing more commonplace worldwide. As a result, the rise in unwanted pregnancies is predicted to increase demand for contraceptive medications and devices, which is predicted to accelerate market growth throughout the projection period.

Contraceptive Drugs Market Segment Insights

The contraceptive drugs market has been segmented into type, distribution channel, and region.

Contraceptive Drugs Type Insights

The global market, based on type, the market is further segmented into oral contraceptives, topical contraceptives, contraceptive injectable, and others.

The oral contraceptives segment is further bifurcated into combined oral contraceptive pills and progestogen-only pills. This segment is expected to hold a major share of the market due to easy consumption, over the counter availability of oral contraceptives, and low costs.

Contraceptive Drugs Distribution Channel Insights

Based on distribution channel, the global market is segmented into hospital & clinics, retail pharmacy, online pharmacy, and others.   

The retail pharmacy segment is anticipated to be the fastest-growing segment due to the increasing over the counter purchase of contraceptive drugs.

Contraceptive Drugs Regional Insights

The market has been segmented, by region, into the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa.

The contraceptive drugs market in the Americas has further been branched into North America and Latin America, with the North American market divided into the US and Canada.

The European market has been sub-divided into Western Europe and Eastern Europe. Western Europe has further been classified as Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Spain, and the rest of Western Europe.

 The market in Asia-Pacific has been segmented into Japan, China, India, South Korea, Australia, and the rest of Asia-Pacific.

The market in the Middle East & Africa has been divided into the Middle East and Africa.

News

Nearly sixty years after birth control became available in the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made a historic decision by approving the first over-the-counter, non-prescription birth control pill. The once-daily Opill will increase access to a secure way to use contraception in a reproductive health environment increasingly constrained by infrastructural shortages and bans on abortion. The decision was described as a "monumental step" in ensuring that people "can effectively limit unwanted pregnancies while controlling family planning" by the American Medical Association (AMA). The over-the-counter female pill will be made available at pharmacies thanks to the non-prescription approval, exactly as over-the-counter aspirin, condoms, and other medications. The pill is available to women and adults without a referral from a primary care doctor or gynecologist.

Contraceptive Drugs Market Top Key Players

The Key Players in the Global Contraceptive Drugs Market are 

• Bayer AG (Germany)


• Pfizer Inc. (US)


• Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Israel)


• Merck & Co., Inc. (US)


• Mylan N.V.(US)


• Allergan Plc (Ireland)


• Agile Therapeutics (US)


• Piramal Enterprises Ltd. (India)


• GlaxoSmithKline PLC (UK)


• Johnson & Johnson (US)


• Novartis AG (Europe)


• Sanofi (France)

Regional Market Summary

The market in the Americas is expected to dominate the global contraceptive drugs market due to the growing rate of unintended pregnancies and the need to prevent abortions in the region. Growing awareness about contraception in the US and Canada is expected to drive the market growth.

For example, according to an article by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, published in 2017, in the US, 45% of pregnancies are estimated to be unintended each year. Thus, to avoid abortions due to unwanted pregnancies, the use of contraceptive drugs is increasing.

The market in Asia-Pacific is expected to show a considerable amount of growth during the forecast period owing to the growing awareness about contraceptive pills and increasing government initiatives to promote contraceptive methods.

For example, in 2017, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of India launched two new contraceptives, a contraceptive pill ‘Chhaya’ and an injectable contraceptive MPA under the ‘Antara’ program.

The market in Europe is expected to show a considerable amount of growth, owing to the increasing number of unintended pregnancies.

The market in the Middle East & Africa is projected to account for the least share of the market due to less awareness about contraceptive drugs in the region.

Contraceptive Drugs Market Segmentation

Contraceptive Drugs Type Outlook

• Oral Contraceptives


• Combined Oral Contraceptive Pills


• Progestogen-Only Pills


• Topical Contraceptives


• Contraceptive Injectable


• Others

Contraceptive Drugs Distribution Channel Outlook

• Hospital & Clinics


• Retail Pharmacy


• Online Pharmacy


• Others

Contraceptive Drugs Regional Outlook

• Americas




• North America




• US


• Canada




• Latin America

• Europe




• Western Europe




• Germany


• France


• Italy


• Spain


• UK


• Rest of Western Europe




• Eastern Europe

• Asia-Pacific




• Japan


• China


• India


• Australia


• South Korea


• Rest of Asia-Pacific

• Middle East & Africa




• Middle East


• Africa

Intended Audience

• Research and development (R&D) companies


• Pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies


• Government research institutes


• Academic institutes and universities


• Venture capitalists