The Food and Drug
Administration has recently approved a second-generation female
condom manufactured by the Female Health Company.
The FC2 Female Condom,
which helps protect against pregnancy and sexually transmitted
diseases, will be available for purchase in the United States
and for distribution to global HIV/AIDS programs.
The condom, which
functions comparably to the company's first-generation
contraceptive, costs less than the original thanks
to a new material that allows for a
highly automated manufacturing process.
"Today's
approval of FC2 -- a lower-cost, second-generation female
condom -- is an important development in efforts to deliver
affordable access to woman-initiated HIV prevention in the
United States and around the world," Mary Ann Leeper,
FHC's senior strategic adviser, told the Associated
Press.