On March 11, 2009 the FDA approved a newer version of a female condom, the FC2, manufactured by the Female Health Company.
“Nearly three decades after the start of the global AIDS pandemic, FHC’s female condoms remain the only safe and effective woman-initiated HIV prevention method approved by the FDA,” Dr. Mary Ann Leeper, FHC’s senior strategic advisor, said in a news release. “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.”
FHC hopes that FC2 will help address the unmet need for women-initiated prevention methods for HIV/AIDS, other STIs, and rates of unintended pregnancy, which continue to be significant public health challenges in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one half of US pregnancies are unintended, 1 in 4 people aged 15 to 20 years contracts an STI each year, and the proportion of women among people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States has tripled during the past 2 decades, from 8% in 1985 to 26% in 2007.
Ladies, remember, you are in charge of your health!
