Is a Generic Ortho Micronor Available?
Ortho Micronor® (norethindrone) is one of the many
birth control pills available. It belongs to a group of medications known as progestin-only
oral contraceptives, so named because they contain only a progestin hormone (and no estrogen hormone). Progestin-only birth control pills are less effective than other birth control pills but are preferred for breastfeeding women and women at risk for blood clots and
heart disease.
Ortho Micronor is made by Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc. Generic Ortho Micronor is available, although it is sold under what looks like other brand names (not the typical "generic" names that most other types of medications use).
Names of Generic Birth Control Pills
At this time, two different forms of generic Ortho Micronor are available, sold under the names
Errin® (made by Barr Laboratories) and
Jolivette® (made by Watson Laboratories). The generic names of birth control pills can be very confusing. The names are long, and different products can have the same generic name, even though they may be very different. To avoid confusion, manufacturers of
generic birth control pills give their versions a "brand name" instead of using the standard generic name. These products are still generics, even though they seem like brand-name products, due to their names. It can be difficult to tell if a particular birth control pill is generic or brand-name, although the price is often a good indication (with generics usually costing significantly less).
