G.D. Searle created Enovid, the first successful oral contraceptive pill approved in the United States in 1960.
Enovid was developed by G.D. Searle & Company using synthetic hormones, including norethynodrel and mestranol. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration first approved it in 1957 for menstrual disorders, then approved its contraceptive use in 1960.
The research involved scientists Gregory Pincus, John Rock, and Min Chueh Chang, with financial support from activist and philanthropist Margaret Sanger and heiress Katharine McCormick. Early clinical trials took place in Puerto Rico.
The pill was initially sold under the Enovid name. G.D. Searle later became part of Monsanto, which was acquired by Bayer in 2018; the original pharmaceutical company is therefore often discussed in historical rather than modern corporate terms.