CONDOMnation I

On December 11, 2008, an FDA advisory panel unanimously recommended the approval of the FC2, a new female condom. The FC2 would be 30% cheaper than the current version, even though male condoms are much less expensive. A cheaper female condom, if widely distributed, could prevent tens of thousands of HIV infections worldwide in part because it allows women to take the lead in protecting themselves. Nationally, the rate of AIDS diagnoses for black women was nearly 23 times the rate for white women and high-risk sexual contact was responsible for 74 percent of those infections. Lets hope that the FDA gets it right and approves the new female condom soon.

Why Not Female Condoms?

Studies have repeatedly shown that although female condoms are widely accepted and that many women prefer them to male condoms, policy makers often fail to promote and invest in their use. The result has been the limited us of a powerful weapon to help fight HIV, other sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancy. According to an Oxfam report presented Thursday at the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City, titled "Failing Women, Withholding Protection," there are about three billion male condoms sold worldwide annually, compared with about 26 million female condoms.

Part of the problem is that female condoms are much more expensive than male condoms. However, why couldn't governments or businesses get together to develop a lower cost version. Or, what about governments using there considerable economic and political power to force manufacturers to lower their prices by offering to buy large quantities in bulk. Either way, this is another area crying out for real leadership.