San Francisco Launches Female Condom Campaign

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Female Health Company (FHC) (Nasdaq: FHCO) is supporting the launch of San Francisco's social marketing campaign to raise awareness and use of the FC2 Female Condom® among people living at risk of HIV infection.  The FC2 Female Condom remains the only FDA-approved method of female-initiated HIV prevention available.  FHC is working actively with public health departments and other partners to introduce FC2 in U.S. cities with the highest HIV prevalence rates.

According to the San Francisco Department of Public Health, from the first recorded cases of AIDS in 1981 through 2009, the city reported 19,080 AIDS deaths. At the end of 2009, nearly 16,000 San Franciscans were living with HIV infection.  The city currently accounts for about 18 percent of all AIDS cases in California.

"I am very pleased to see such community excitement about the FC2 being available in our city.  It is so important to give our communities another good option for taking control of the sexual health," said Susan Phillip, MD, Director of STD Prevention and Control, for San Francisco Department of Public Health.

The city's multifaceted communications and marketing effort is being conducted to promote the FC2 female condom as both an acceptable and affordable HIV prevention option. With funding and technical support provided by FHC and other partners, it is sponsoring train-the-trainer programs to equip San Francisco and Bay Area service organizations with the necessary skills to promote female condom usage amongst their clientele.

Similar programs have been launched over the course of the past year in other cities such as Chicago, New York City and Washington.  The San Francisco program has drawn on best practices and lessons learned by Washington, which launched a major FC2 social marketing program in 2010 that drew national and local media attention.  Like Washington, DC, San Francisco will publicly promote FC2 using bus advertisements, posters and palm cards distributed by community agencies and neighborhood businesses.

"It is so exciting that San Francisco, a national leader in HIV prevention efforts, is aggressively promoting another option for people who want to protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases and unintended pregnancies," said Mary Ann Leeper, FHC's senior strategic advisor.  "FHC is thrilled to see this increasing collaboration of cities, public health departments, and community organizations to share best practices and increase the options available to promote safer sex."

The FC2 Female Condom is currently the only FDA-approved and marketed product controlled by women that prevents sexually transmitted infections (STI) including HIV/AIDS.  Used consistently and correctly, it provides women dual protection against STI and unintended pregnancy.  The FC2 Female Condom does not compete with the male condom, but is an alternative to either male condom usage or unprotected sex.

In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continue to report that the HIV/AIDS epidemic is taking an increasing toll on women and girls.  Women of color, particularly black women, are disproportionately impacted by the disease Black women comprise both the majority of new HIV and AIDS cases among women, and are the majority of women living with the disease.

About The Female Health Company

The Female Health Company, based in Chicago, Illinois, manufactures and markets the FC2 Female Condom® (FC2), which is available in the U.S. and about 100 other countries around the world.  The Company owns certain worldwide rights to the FC2 Female Condom®, including patents that have been issued in the U.S., Europe, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Japan, China, Spain, Mexico, Greece and Turkey and are pending in various countries.  The FC2 Female Condom® is the only available FDA-approved product controlled  by a woman that offers dual protection against sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS, and unintended pregnancy.  The World Health Organization (WHO) has cleared the FC2 Female Condom for purchase by U.N. agencies.  

"Safe Harbor" statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995:

The Statements in this release which are not historical fact are "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  These statements are based upon the Company's current plans and strategies, and reflect the Company's current assessment of the risks and uncertainties related to its business, and are made as of the date of this release.  The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release as a result of new information or future events, developments or circumstances.  Such forward-looking statements are inherently subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties.  The Company's actual results and future developments could differ materially from the results or developments expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements.  Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the following:  product demand and market acceptance; competition in the Company's markets and the risk of new competitors and new competitive product introductions; the Company's reliance on its international partners in the consumer sector and on the level of spending on the female condom by country governments, global donors and other public health organizations in the global public sector; the economic and business environment and the impact of government pressures; risks involved in doing business on an international level, including currency risks, regulatory requirements, political risks, export restrictions and other trade barriers; the Company's production capacity, efficiency and supply constraints; and other risks detailed in the Company's press releases, shareholder communication, and Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including the Company's Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2010.  Actual events affecting the Company and the impact of such events on the Company's operations may vary from those currently anticipated.

For more information about the Female Health Company visit the Company's website at http://www.femalehealth.com and http://www.femalecondom.org. If you would like to be added to the Company's e-mail alert list, please send an e-mail to [email protected].

SOURCE The Female Health Company