What the FDA labels say about taking them together
Ethinyl estradiol/norgestimate and nelfinavir
Ethinyl estradiol/norgestimate's FDA label of February 6, 2026 names nelfinavir in its drug interactions section; the nelfinavir label PlainMeds reads does not name ethinyl estradiol/norgestimate. The ethinyl estradiol/norgestimate label: “Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/Hepatitis C virus (HCV) protease inhibitors, non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, and HIV/AIDS medications containing strong inhibitors or inducers of CYP3A Significant …”
Check it at the source: the ethinyl estradiol/norgestimate FDA label on DailyMed (effective February 6, 2026, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Inc., USA); the nelfinavir FDA label on DailyMed (effective December 11, 2025, AGOURON).
What does the ethinyl estradiol/norgestimate label say about nelfinavir?
Ethinyl estradiol/norgestimate label, drug interactionsHuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/Hepatitis C virus (HCV) protease inhibitors, non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, and HIV/AIDS medications containing strong inhibitors or inducers of CYP3A 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 protease inhibitors (decrease [e.g., nelfinavir, ritonavir, darunavir/ritonavir, (fos)amprenavir/ritonavir, lopinavir/ritonavir, and tipranavir/ritonavir] or increase [e.g., indinavir and atazanavir/ritonavir])/HCV protease inhibitors (decrease [e.g., boceprevir and telaprevir]) or with non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase …
Source: FDA drug label (Norgestimate and Ethinyl Estradiol), Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Inc., USA, effective February 6, 2026 (SPL set 8b247e46-203e-4f5b-b5a7-cbd57341c735), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What does the nelfinavir label say about ethinyl estradiol/norgestimate?
Nelfinavir's label (effective December 11, 2025) does not name ethinyl estradiol/norgestimate 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/norgestimate | Nelfinavir | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Acne, Birth control | HIV |
| Boxed warning | Yes | No |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC) | $0.115 per tablet 0.25-0.035 mg 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