Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1997. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
PR Newswire; Friday December 5, 8:00 am EST
The announcement of the availability of the female condom to Brazilian women and their partners was made at a World AIDS Day conference of public sector health care professionals co-sponsored by Family Health International. The keynote speaker was Professor Jose Aristodemo Pinotti, M.D., Ph.D., a Representative of the Federal Congress of Brazil, Professor of Medicine at the State University of Sao Paulo, and Director of the Reference Center for Women's Health.
A new estimate released in November by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) doubles the previous estimates of the spread of HIV. Some of the highlights follow: 30.6 million people are living with HIV, 2.3 million people will die of AIDS this year; 16,000 people are infected daily; and 1,200 children die of AIDS each day.
Recently released results from a UNAIDS supported study showed that when the female condom was made available as an option, there was a 34% reduction in the mean incidence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and a 25% reduction in unprotected sex acts compared to when only the male condom was made available.
The Female Condom is in the early stages of global commercialization. It is marketed in the United States, United Kingdom, South Korea, and Holland. During 1997, in addition to Brazil, it was launched in Zimbabwe, Canada, Zambia, and Taiwan. In October, the Company announced that its Japanese partner had submitted an application to Koseisho (Japanese equivalent of FDA) for approval to market the Female Condom in Japan and in November that the Company had received an order for a launch in South Africa. The Company is in discussions with potential partners for Europe, the United States, India, The People's Republic of China, and other countries.
The Female Health Company, based in Chicago, owns certain worldwide rights to the female condom including patents which have been issued in the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, The People's Republic of China, Canada, New Zealand, South Korea, and Australia. The female condom is the only available product controlled by a woman that protects against sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS, and unintended pregnancy.
SOURCE: The Female Health Company
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