Women are itching for more birth control options that cater to their unique needs and preferences. While traditional forms of birth control – such as the pill and condoms – have been reliable options for many years, they don’t satisfy everyone. For example, a recent study showed that of the top 100 most viewed TikToks tagged #IUDs, 37.8% had a negative tone and 27.6% had a distrust of healthcare professionals. Women, especially younger women, are less willing to engage with birth control that does not meet their lifestyle needs and healthcare concerns.
Women are seeking more diverse options that offer greater flexibility, convenience and effectiveness. Flexibility is a big point for lots of women, especially among Gen Z. And Big Pharma is no longer making significant contributions to the industry, with low spending on research and development of new methods of birth control. It is clear that people want birth control options that fit their lifestyles, and with the growing demand for more diverse birth control options, the industry is seeing a surge of innovation by new players entering the market.
One of these players is Agile Therapeutics, Inc. AGRX, which has created an innovative birth control product on the market called Twirla® (levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol) transdermal system. Twirla is a weekly hormonal birth control patch for women that boasts a relatively low dose of estrogen. Agile Therapeutics spent years working with the FDA to get its product on the market, and it already seems to be poised to make a big splash in the contraceptive market. For women with a body mass index of less than 30 kg/m2 who struggle to remember to take a daily pill and want a low dose of estrogen, a weekly patch could be a great option.
Currently, Twirla’s primary consumer target is 18-to-24-year-old women and geotargeted in California, Texas, Florida, Illinois and New York – reaching out to approximately 5.7 million women. Twirla is really highlighting the need for flexible and realistic portrayals of birth control with their latest marketing pushes, including their most recent commercial.
The company’s commercial plan for 2023 will help set Twirla up in both retail and non-retail channels in key states. It will also focus on telemedicine through its collaboration with Nurx, a telehealth network with more than 1 million patients. The company expects 2023 will bring in $25-30 million in revenue largely due to Twirla.
Smaller contraceptive companies seem to be committed to driving innovation in the industry by focusing on the individual health concerns of women and providing them with a wide range of safe, effective, and affordable birth control options. Products like Twirla are disrupting an archaic industry. Twirla certainly seems well-placed to give women another option that empowers them to take control of their reproductive health. As the industry continues to evolve, the role of players like Agile Therapeutics will be vital in ensuring that women have access to a broad range of birth control options that meet their unique needs and preferences.
Featured photo by Vonecia Carswell on Unsplash.
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