 
July 10, 2009
Female Condoms Finally Profitable and Popular
The Female Health Company (FHCO), manufacturer of the only female prophylactic approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the World Health Organization (WHO), is turning a profit for the first time in nearly 20 years thanks to the success of its second-generation female condom, the FC2, CNN Money reports.
FHCO’s first female condom, called the FC1, was problematic because it was slippery and noisy during sex. Former FHCO staffer Mitchell Warren described it as having a significant “yuck factor.” The first-generation condom, which the FDA approved in 1993, was also more expensive than its male counterpart. At one point, female condoms were $1.20 each compared with male condoms, which sell for pennies.
The FC2, which the WHO approved in 2006 and the FDA in March 2009, is two thirds the original price. In 2008, distribution of the condom was up 34 percent from 2007 in 93 countries.
And domestic public health organizations such as the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) are expected to increase female condom distribution now that the FC2 is FDA approved. Last year, the New York City health department distributed 2 million female condoms.
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polypagan, Berea, KY, 2009-07-15 11:38:41
I love the FC1! They are great for anal sex (and vaginal sex too). [We call them "can liners".]
Of what is the FC2 made? Is it polyurethane like the 1? Will it be as strong?
The FC2 does feel rather like a cigarette cellophane when cold, but warms up in use and is quite undetectable (to me, the bottom, anyhow.)
Guess I'll just buy some and find out. (And I do sometimes wish there were a bit more detail in POZ articles...)
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