The rocky history of Evofem illuminates how big insurers and drugmakers are stifling innovation in women’s health.
Valentine’s Day in San Diego this year dawned cold and grim for Saundra Pelletier. It should have been a day of celebration—or at least marketing synergy—for the CEO of Evofem Biosciences, a women’s health company with an unapologetically sex-positive mission. Its first and only product is a contraceptive gel called Phexxi, which Evofem markets to millions of women eager for a birth control option without hormones. More than 100,000 people have gotten a prescription for Phexxi since it launched in late 2020; millions more have watched its $30 million viral commercial.
