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Generic Femhrt
The patents for femhrt have expired, and a generic version is now being sold. This generic version, Jinteli, is available in one strength only. It has been given an "AB" rating by the FDA, which means it can be considered equivalent to the brand-name version of the drug.
A prescription drug, femhrt® (norethindrone acetate/ethinyl estradiol) is a hormone replacement that is approved for the following uses:
- Preventing osteoporosis in postmenopausal women
- Treating menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes and night sweats.
The drug contains both a progestin (norethindrone) and an estrogen (ethinyl estradiol), and is only approved for women who still have a uterus (who have not had a hysterectomy).
Brand-name femhrt is made by Warner Chilcott. However, the patents for this medication have expired, and a generic version is now available.
A generic version of femhrt is available and is sold under the name Jinteli™. This product is sold by Teva Pharmaceuticals, USA. Jinteli is available only in one strength, while femhrt is available in two strengths. Specifically, femhrt comes in the following strengths:
- femhrt 0.5/2.5 -- 0.5 mg of norethindrone acetate and 2.5 mcg (0.0025 mg) of ethinyl estradiol per tablet
- femhrt 1/5 -- 1 mg of norethindrone acetate and 5 mcg (0.005 mg) of ethinyl estradiol per tablet.
Jinteli comes in the higher strength only (Jinteli 1/5).
All generic medications must undergo certain tests to compare them to brand-name medications. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) then looks at these tests to decide if the generics are equivalent to the brand-name medications and assigns a rating to each one.
An "AB" rating means that the FDA has determined that a generic medication is equivalent to a brand-name medication. Jinteli has an "AB" rating, meaning it should be equivalent to femhrt.
However, generic medications are allowed to have different inactive ingredients than the brand-name medication. This might include fillers, dyes, or other ingredients that may cause problems for people with allergies or sensitivities.
Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD