What the FDA labels say about taking them together
Ethinyl estradiol/levonorgestrel and rifabutin
Ethinyl estradiol/levonorgestrel's FDA label of August 27, 2026 names rifabutin in its drug interactions section; the rifabutin label PlainMeds reads does not name ethinyl estradiol/levonorgestrel. The ethinyl estradiol/levonorgestrel label: “… bosentan, felbamate, griseofulvin, oxcarbazepine, rifampicin, topiramate, rifabutin, rufinamide, aprepitant, and products containing St. John’s wort.”
Check it at the source: the ethinyl estradiol/levonorgestrel FDA label on DailyMed (effective August 27, 2026, Exeltis USA, Inc.); the rifabutin FDA label on DailyMed (effective September 1, 2026, REMEDYREPACK INC.).
What does the ethinyl estradiol/levonorgestrel label say about rifabutin?
Ethinyl estradiol/levonorgestrel label, drug interactionsContinue backup contraception for 28 days after discontinuing the enzyme inducer to maintain contraceptive reliability. Examples Aprepitant, barbiturates, bosentan, carbamazepine, efavirenz, felbamate, griseofulvin, oxcarbazepine, phenytoin, rifampin, primidone, phenylbutazone, rifabutin, rufinamide, topiramate, products containing St. John's wort, and certain protease inhibitors (see separate section on protease inhibitors below).
Balcoltra label (Avion Pharmaceuticals, December 5, 2025), drug interactionsSome drugs or herbal products that may decrease the effectiveness of hormonal contraceptives include phenytoin, barbiturates, carbamazepine, bosentan, felbamate, griseofulvin, oxcarbazepine, rifampicin, topiramate, rifabutin, rufinamide, aprepitant, and products containing St. John’s wort.
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 (Twirla, NDA204017), Agile Therapeutics, Inc., effective June 30, 2026 (SPL set bcaf8db0-1750-425d-b008-255b5e7a9cc6), 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 rifabutin label say about ethinyl estradiol/levonorgestrel?
Rifabutin's label (effective September 1, 2026) 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 (Rifabutin), NDA050689 (Pfizer), as published by REMEDYREPACK INC., effective September 1, 2026 (SPL set 25a60937-cbbe-4a50-994f-2ce15203f589), 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 | Rifabutin | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Birth control | n/a |
| Boxed warning | Yes | No |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC) | $0.154 per tablet 28 tablet | $8.14 per capsule 150 mg capsule |
| 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