FDA on Wednesday approved the Female Health Company's FC2 Female Condom to help
 prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, the AP/forbes reports. With the
 approval, the lower-cost, new version of the female condom now will be available in the
 U.S. In addition, USAID now can procure the condoms and distribute them worldwide
 (AP/Forbes, 3/11).

 The new female condom is made of synthetic rubber instead of polyurethane and is less
 expensive than the original version. According to the Chicago Tribune's "Triage," both the
 new version and older version are equally effective. The new version likely will cost about
 30% less than the older version, making it more affordable for individuals and public health
 groups, Mary Ann Leeper, strategic adviser to FHC, said (Graham, "Triage," Chicago
 Tribune, 3/11). The price of the older version ranged between $2.80 and $4 each. The new
 version also is manufactured through a less-expensive process. The FDA approval is an
 "important development in efforts to deliver affordable access to woman-initiated HIV
 prevention in the United States and around the world," Leeper said (Reuters India, 3/11).

 According to the Tribune's "Triage," marketing for the original version of the female condom
 was "inadequate" and, combined with the high cost, the product "never really caught on."
 According to Catherine Christeller, executive director of the Chicago Women's AIDS
 Project, the new challenge will be persuading public health departments to educate women
 about the new female condom and to distribute it more widely ("Triage," Chicago Tribune,
 3/11).

 Courtesy of http://www.medicalnewstoday.com