What the FDA labels say about taking them together
Ethinyl estradiol/levonorgestrel and nelfinavir
Ethinyl estradiol/levonorgestrel's FDA label of August 27, 2026 names nelfinavir in its drug interactions section; the nelfinavir label PlainMeds reads does not name ethinyl estradiol/levonorgestrel. The ethinyl estradiol/levonorgestrel label: “Significant changes (increase or decrease) in the plasma concentrations of estrogen and/or progestin have been noted in some cases of co-administration with HIV/HCV protease inhibitors and non-nucleoside reverse …”
Check it at the source: the ethinyl estradiol/levonorgestrel FDA label on DailyMed (effective August 27, 2026, Exeltis USA, Inc.); the nelfinavir FDA label on DailyMed (effective December 11, 2025, AGOURON).
What does the ethinyl estradiol/levonorgestrel label say about nelfinavir?
Ethinyl estradiol/levonorgestrel label, drug interactionsSignificant decreases in systemic exposure of the estrogen and/or progestin have been noted when CHCs are co-administered with some HIV protease inhibitors (e.g., nelfinavir, ritonavir, darunavir/ritonavir, (fos)amprenavir/ritonavir, lopinavir/ritonavir, and tipranavir/ritonavir), some HCV protease inhibitors (e.g., boceprevir and telaprevir), and some non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (e.g., nevirapine).
Balcoltra label (Avion Pharmaceuticals, December 5, 2025), drug interactionsSignificant changes (increase or decrease) in the plasma concentrations of estrogen and/or progestin have been noted in some cases of co-administration with HIV/HCV protease inhibitors and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (decrease [e.g., nelfinavir, ritonavir, darunavir/ritonavir, (fos)amprenavir/ritonavir, lopinavir/ritonavir, tipranavir/ritonavir, boceprevir, telaprevir, nevirapine and efavirenz] or increase [e.g., indinavir, atazanavir/ritonavir and etravirine]).
Source: FDA drug label (Balcoltra, NDA208612), Avion Pharmaceuticals, effective December 5, 2025 (SPL set 752ab698-4b48-4614-8016-d1d33ee7c007), via openFDA
Source: FDA drug label (Tyblume), Exeltis USA, Inc., effective August 27, 2026 (SPL set b2482d51-d606-4aaa-8af4-19e4fe2f8872), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What does the nelfinavir label say about ethinyl estradiol/levonorgestrel?
Nelfinavir's label (effective December 11, 2025) does not name ethinyl estradiol/levonorgestrel in these sections. A label lists what its studies and reports found; it is not a complete list.
Source: FDA drug label (VIRACEPT), AGOURON, effective December 11, 2025 (SPL set e72c2bc6-9462-4a2e-8e1d-b97592376cbd), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
These are the labels' own sentences. PlainMeds does not grade interactions; a pharmacist or prescriber can say what they mean for one person's medicines.
Both medicines on the record
| Ethinyl estradiol/levonorgestrel | Nelfinavir | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Birth control | HIV |
| Boxed warning | Yes | No |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC) | $0.154 per tablet 28 tablet | n/a |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
Source: FDA NDC Directory, CMS NADAC of October 7, 2026 and the FDA Drug Shortage Database (FDA files October 8, 2026)
What next?
- Check more medicines together
- up to five at once