overall: 14.2 cm x 5.6 cm x .5 cm; 5 9/16 in x 2 3/16 in x 3/16 in
overall: 2 1/8 in x 5 1/2 in x 1/4 in; 5.3975 cm x 13.97 cm x .635 cm
Object Name:
oral contraceptive
contraceptive, oral
Other Terms:
Contraceptives; Pharmaceuticals; Drugs
Place made:
United States: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Date made:
ca 1982
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.
Wyeth Laboratories Inc. produced this Ovral brand oral contraceptive around 1982. The 21 pills are encased in a plastic and aluminum blister pack with punch-outs on the reverse. The blister pack is surrounded by a white plastic holder with the days of the week embossed around the perimeter. The blister pack has a rectangular white plastic carrying pouch that is decorated with two blue flowers and a yellow-green butterfly. The Ovral pill regimen came with a separate white paper insert with instructions for the user.
