Ortho-Novum 777 28 Oral Contraceptive

Ortho-Novum 7/7/7 28 Oral Contraceptive

<< >>
Usage conditions apply
Downloads
Description (Brief)
The popularity of “the Pill” created a new market for pharmaceutical companies. For the first time, healthy women would be taking medication for an extended period of time. Pill manufacturers developed unique packaging in order to distinguish their product from those of their competitors and build brand loyalty. Packaging design often incorporated a “memory aid” to assist women in tracking their daily pill regimen, as well as styled cases to allow pills to be discreetly carried in bags and purses. The National Museum of American History’s Division of Medicine and Science’s collection of oral contraceptives illustrates some of the changes that the packaging and marketing of the Pill underwent from its inception in 1960 to the present.
The Ortho Pharmaceutical Corporation of Raritan, New Jersey, produced this Ortho-Novum 7/7/7 brand oral contraceptive around 1984. The monthly dosage is in a 28-pill DialPak dispenser. The 7/7/7 referred to the three weeks of 7 active pills. Each week consists of varying ratios of norethindrone and ethinyl estradiol, followed by 7 inert pills to finish the 28-day cycle. This contraceptive pack was distributed as a physician’s sample, not for sale.
Location
Currently not on view
Object Name
contraceptive, oral
Other Terms
Pharmaceutical; Contraceptive; Oral Contraceptive
date made
1985-1988
product expiration date
1988-07
maker
Ortho Pharmaceutical Corporation
place made
United States: New Jersey, Raritan
Physical Description
foil, aluminum (package material)
plastic (dispenser material)
norethindrone, 0.5 mg (drug (white tablet) active ingredients)
norethindrone, 0.75 mg (drug (light peach tablet) active ingredients)
norethindrone, 1 mg (drug (peach tablet) active ingredients)
ethinyl estradiol, 0.035 mg (drug (all active tablets) active ingredients)
paper (insert material)
Measurements
overall: 1.3 cm x 8.5 cm x 14 cm; 1/2 in x 3 3/8 in x 5 1/2 in
overall: 5/8 in x 3 3/4 in x 5 5/8 in; 1.5875 cm x 9.525 cm x 14.2875 cm
ID Number
1988.0655.04
catalog number
1988.0655.04
accession number
1988.0655
Credit Line
Gift of Gladys Abell Johnson
subject
Birth Control/Contraception
Women's Health
See more items in
Medicine and Science: Medicine
Health & Medicine
Birth Control
Data Source
National Museum of American History
Nominate this object for photography.   

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.

Note: Comment submission is temporarily unavailable while we make improvements to the site. We apologize for the interruption. If you have a question relating to the museum's collections, please first check our Collections FAQ. If you require a personal response, please use our Contact page.