Generic Yasmin: An Overview
Yasmin is made by Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals. However, generic Yasmin is also available. Because a less-expensive, generic version of Yasmin is available, you may find that your insurance company will not cover brand-name Yasmin.
Currently, generic Yasmin is sold under the name
Ocella™. Because the generic names of birth control pills can be very confusing (the names are long, and multiple different products can have the same generic name but different strengths), manufacturers of
generic birth control pills give their versions a "brand name" to avoid confusion. Ocella is still a generic, even though it seems like a brand-name product, due to its name.
Is Ocella as Good as Yasmin?
All generic medications must undergo certain tests to compare them to brand-name medications. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) then looks at these tests to decide if the generics are equivalent to the brand-name medications and assigns each generic a rating. An "AB" rating means that the FDA has determined that a generic medication is equivalent to a brand-name medication. Ocella has an "AB" rating, meaning it should be equivalent to Yasmin.
However, generic medications are allowed to have different inactive ingredients than the brand-name medication. This might include fillers or dyes or other ingredients that may cause problems for people with
allergies or sensitivities.
