Evofem Biosciences is a company that develops and commercializes women’s health products, with its main focus being the hormone-free on-demand prescription contraceptive Phexxi. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Evofem Biosciences CEO Saundra Pelletier to gain a deeper understanding of the company.
Saundra Pelletier’s Background
Can you walk us through your personal background and journey to becoming CEO? Pelletier said:
“I grew up in a small rural town as one of ten children, raised by a mother who was determined to broaden our horizons and instilled in us the confidence to take charge of our lives. College became my gateway to reinventing myself and entering the business world.”
“I started as a pharma rep and quickly advanced, often surprising myself with promotions. Being unmarried and childless at the time allowed me to take risks many women couldn’t. This experience opened my eyes to workplace inequities and fueled my ambition to become a CEO who could create better opportunities for women and mothers.”
“I discovered that women connected with me because I combined strategic thinking with genuine empathy and respect for women. This became my leadership foundation.”
“Women’s healthcare chose me as much as I chose it. Growing up, I witnessed too many young women facing unintended pregnancies that derailed their futures. Early in my career, I received a major promotion but immediately resigned because something felt wrong—the role wasn’t aligned with women’s health. Once I found work in women’s healthcare, I knew I’d found my calling and have stayed committed to that mission ever since.”
Problem Being Solved
What is Evofem Biosciences and what problem are you solving in women’s health? Pelletier shared:
“Evofem is the most innovative, risk taking, small buyer tech that solves real problems that impact the quality of life of women.”
“The problem we solve is that women aren’t having sex everyday and many suffer from side effects that synthetic birth control delivers. So we brought to market the first and only FDA approved non-hormonal birth control that women use on demand, whenever they need it.”
“We also rescued a forgotten about product called Solosec, relaunching and reinvigorating an incredible innovation for Bacterial Vaginosis and Trichomoniasis that is 1 dose, one and done, instead of the standard treatment that includes taking a medication 2 times a day for up to 2 weeks.”
Challenges Faced
What major challenges has the company faced recently, and how did you lead the team through them? Pelletier acknowledged:
“Evofem has faced a lot of different challenges that would have destroyed most companies. Being delisted from NASDAQ essentially cut off our access to capital markets at a critical time. This forced us to make two rounds of difficult downsizing decisions—something that goes against everything I believe in as a leader, but was necessary for survival.”
“What made this particularly challenging was knowing that reducing our team would impact both our corporate culture and women’s access to our products. Beyond the financial pressures, we’ve dealt with bullying from big pharma, lawsuits from competitors, attacks from predatory investors, and personal character assassination campaigns against me.”
“I led us through this by staying focused on our mission and being completely transparent with the team about our situation. I reinforced to the remaining team that while we were smaller, we were also more agile and committed. And most importantly, I refused to let external attacks derail our focus on serving women. I compartmentalized the personal attacks—though I’m grateful my mother doesn’t use social media—and kept the team centered on what we could control: delivering quality products and rebuilding our foundation.”
“We survived because we never lost sight of why we exist, and I made sure every decision, no matter how painful, served that ultimate purpose.”
Rewarding Moment
What’s been your most rewarding moment as CEO so far? Pelletier reflected:
“Definitely the approval of phexxi by the FDA–this was a huge moment in women’s health and in my own personal CEO journey.”
Significant Milestones
What are Evofem’s most significant milestones, and can you share a customer success story that stands out? Pelletier cited:
“Our most significant recent milestone is Evofem’s acquisition by Aditext, where we’ll become their women’s health division with access to the growth capital we need to expand our reach and impact.”
“But honestly, our greatest milestones are measured in the women whose lives we’ve changed. During COVID, I was overwhelmed by the response—hundreds of emails, calls, and social media messages from women who finally had time to evaluate how they were feeling physically. Many realized their synthetic birth control was making them feel terrible and told us that Phexxi had transformed their lives.”
“One story that particularly moves me involves cancer survivors. As a cancer survivor myself, I know that women who can still become pregnant should avoid hormonal birth control. I’ve received messages from cancer patients expressing gratitude that is both humbling and mind-blowing—they tell us we’ve given them hope because previously their only non-hormonal option was an IUD.”
“These women had been forced to choose between their health and their reproductive autonomy. When they discover they have another option with Phexxi, the relief and gratitude is profound. That’s what drives us every day—knowing we’re not just providing a product, but restoring choice and dignity to women who thought they had none.”
Differentiation From Other Companies
How does Evofem differentiate itself from other companies in the contraceptive space? Pelletier affirmed:
“Evofem is edgy, we use humor, and empowering messages versus fear based and shameful messages delivered by other companies that create stressor consumers.”
“As a CEO, I purposely communicate am vulnerable and embrace social media instead of hiding behind a comms team, which I think makes both me and the company feel more authentic and genuine–and a healthcare company that you can trust.”
Work Passions
What other aspects of your work or mission would you like to discuss? Pelletier emphasized:
“I’m deeply passionate about women’s sexual health education and empowering young women to take charge of their own bodies. One of the most rewarding experiences of my career was running a global non-profit serving girls and women in low- and middle-income countries—places where there are no pharmacies, no social media, no access to period care or quality healthcare, and where sexual violence is pervasive. That work opened my eyes to realities that exist far beyond our privileged access to healthcare in the US, and it continues to fuel my mission.”
“But I’m equally passionate about something we don’t discuss enough: educating boys and men about women’s health, anatomy, and equality. We need to normalize conversations with the sons we raise, the men we marry, and the men in our families about respect and women’s bodies.”
“Women’s health isn’t just a women’s issue—it’s a human issue. Until we have the support of men who understand and advocate for women’s health alongside us, we’ll continue fighting an uphill battle. We need men as allies in boardrooms, in policy discussions, and in their own homes. Only when we change the narrative from ‘women’s problems’ to ‘our collective responsibility’ will we see real systemic change.”
“This isn’t just about products or profits—it’s about fundamentally shifting how society views and values women’s health and autonomy.”
Experience As A Female CEO In The Pharma Industry
As a female CEO in the pharmaceutical industry, what unique challenges have you encountered, and how have you navigated them? Pelletier pointed out:
“There aren’t enough words to fully capture the unique challenges, but yes—they’ve been significant and constant.”
“I’ve been sexually objectified in professional settings, overlooked in meetings where my ideas were later credited to male colleagues, and routinely asked to handle administrative tasks that men in similar positions would never be expected to do. The assumption seems to be that because I’m a woman, I should naturally take on the organizational and support work.”
“Perhaps most damaging is the character assassination that comes with being a woman in power. I’ve been labeled difficult or aggressive for the same decisive behavior that would be praised in a male CEO. And of course, there’s always the insinuation that I didn’t earn my position on merit—that I somehow slept my way to the top.”
“I’ve navigated these challenges by staying laser-focused on results and surrounding myself with people who judge me by my performance, not my gender. I’ve also learned to call out inappropriate behavior directly and professionally in the moment, rather than letting it slide. Most importantly, I’ve used these experiences to become a better leader for other women—creating environments where they don’t have to endure what I did.”
“The irony is that these challenges have actually strengthened my resolve to succeed and to change the industry from within. Every barrier they put up just makes me more determined to break it down for the women coming after me.””
Barriers Faced
What barriers have you faced when pitching to investors or working with predominantly male boards in the pharmaceutical space? Pelletier replied:
“The biggest barrier is that many male investors immediately dismiss women’s health because it doesn’t personally affect them. They’ll claim the market size isn’t large enough—which is their polite way of saying they don’t care about issues that don’t impact their own bodies.”
“However, the good investors—the ones worth working with—want to discuss their daughters, wives, and partners. They recognize that they would never take a daily medication they didn’t need to save their life, so why should the women they love have to? When you frame it that way, you separate the investors who see real opportunity from those who will never understand your mission.”
Destigmatizing Language Around Women’s Bodies
What role do you think destigmatizing language around women’s bodies plays in advancing reproductive healthcare? Pelletier stated:
“Body parts should be discussed as matter-of-factly as saying elbow, knee, penis, or vagina. We’ve artificially made certain anatomical terms awkward and shameful, but we can easily reverse this by using transparent, clinical language consistently.”
“When we whisper about women’s anatomy or use euphemisms, we perpetuate the idea that there’s something inherently shameful about women’s bodies. This linguistic shame directly translates into healthcare gaps and women don’t seek care for issues they can’t even comfortably name.”
Criticism For Being Outspoken
Have you experienced any pushback or criticism for being outspoken about women’s health issues, and how do you handle that? Pelletier revealed:
“I’ve been called everything from a ‘dirty, depraved sex maniac’ to a ‘pornographer in disguise’—all for using proper anatomical terms and discussing women’s health openly. I’ve had my parenting questioned and been told I’m going to hell for teaching basic biology.”
“I handle it by remembering that this extreme reaction proves exactly why this work is necessary. If people are that uncomfortable with clinical discussions about women’s bodies, imagine how uncomfortable women must feel seeking healthcare. Every attack reinforces that we’re challenging something that desperately needs to change.””
Advisor For Other Women
What advice would you give to other women looking to break into executive leadership roles in pharmaceutical or biotech companies? Pelletier advised:
“This may sound controversial, but it’s been critical to my success: consistently ask yourself what would a man do, say, or how would he react in each situation. The answer is almost always entirely different from my natural instinct as a woman.”
“This isn’t about losing your authenticity—it’s about adapting your communication style to be heard in male-dominated environments. Once you’re in leadership, you can create space for other communication styles. But to get there, you often need to speak the language that gets results in the current system.”
Ideal Changes
What changes would you like to see in how the healthcare industry approaches and discusses women’s reproductive health? Pelletier concluded:
“I want every patient visit to include conversations about sexual health instead of treating it as taboo or inappropriate. We discuss diet, exercise, sleep, stress—why not sexual wellness? It’s a fundamental aspect of health that impacts everything from mental wellbeing to relationship quality to overall life satisfaction.”
“When we normalize these conversations in clinical settings, we remove the shame and create space for women to get the care and information they actually need.”
