Birth Control Pill Names by Country

Same formulation, different brand names worldwide · Based on FDA, EMA, PMDA, MFDS, and national drug databases · Last updated March 2026

The same birth control pill is often sold under completely different names in different countries. This can be confusing when traveling, moving abroad, or searching for information online. This guide maps equivalent pills across 10 countries.

Combined pills: Low dose (EE 20 mcg)

EE 20 mcg + Drospirenone 3 mg 4th gen

EE 20 mcg + Desogestrel 150 mcg 3rd gen

EE 20 mcg + Gestodene 75 mcg 3rd gen

EE 20 mcg + Levonorgestrel 100 mcg 2nd gen

Combined pills: Regular dose (EE 30-35 mcg)

EE 30 mcg + Drospirenone 3 mg 4th gen

EE 30 mcg + Desogestrel 150 mcg 3rd gen

EE 30 mcg + Levonorgestrel 150 mcg 2nd gen

EE 30 mcg + Gestodene 75 mcg 3rd gen

EE 35 mcg + Cyproterone acetate 2 mg 4th gen

Progestin-only pills (mini-pills)

Desogestrel 75 mcg 3rd gen

Drospirenone 4 mg 4th gen

Norethindrone 0.35 mg 1st gen

Italy

Italian pharmacies stock many formulations under names used nowhere else in Europe. Brands below are matched to the same formulation groups as the tables above; two Italian medical references were cross-checked for each row (see Sources).

Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore

Availability below is confirmed against local pharmacy listings and drug references (MIMS Philippines, Watsons, BPOM coverage, Malaysian and Singaporean clinic guides). “Not verified” means we could not confirm it against a local source — not that it isn’t sold there.

Moving or traveling? How to find your pill’s equivalent

Brand names change at borders; the medicine inside usually doesn’t. To find your pill in another country:

1. Read the generic names off your pack — the estrogen (usually ethinylestradiol, “EE”) with its microgram dose, and the progestin with its dose. This pairing, not the brand, is your pill’s identity.
2. Find that formulation row in the tables above, then read across to your destination country.
3. Show a pharmacist the generic names, not the brand. “Ethinylestradiol 20 mcg + desogestrel 150 mcg” is understood everywhere; a US generic’s brand name usually isn’t.

Worked example: Kariva, a common US 28-day generic, contains EE 20 mcg + desogestrel 150 mcg in its active phase. In Germany the matching formulation in the table above is Mercilon. One honest caveat: Kariva’s 28-day pack ends with a few low-dose estrogen-only tablets, while Mercilon is a 21-day pack with a 7-day break — the active pills match, the pack rhythm doesn’t. That difference is exactly the kind of thing to confirm with the pharmacist rather than assume.

A prescription from home is not automatically valid abroad — in most countries you’ll need a local prescription, though pharmacy rules vary (see the Rx/OTC notes in the tables above).

Key insights by country