The Female Health Company Brings Together Advocates and Experts To Advance The FC2 Female Condom

CHICAGO, Sept. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Female Health Company (NASDAQ - CM: FHCO), maker of the world's leading female condom, today announced the launch of its vibrant new packaging for the FC2 Female Condom® (FC2) in the United States.

On Global Female Condom Day, September 16, 2014, events around the world will serve as a catalyst to increase awareness and availability of the female condom. To mark the occasion, the bold new purple and orange sachet package design for FC2 launches in the U.S. The new U.S. design complements the updated global packaging released earlier in 2014, with new artwork that comes to life through extensive consumer and partner consultation and feedback. It replaces a design that had been in place since the brand's initial introduction to the U.S. consumer market in 1993.  

To mark Global Female Condom Day, the Company assembled five internationally recognized public health experts and sexual health advocates to record their insights on the challenges and opportunities facing female condom use in the U.S. and around the world. These thought-provoking conversations will be available for viewing September 16, 2014 on the FC2 Global Female Condom Day  webpage.

Members of the panel discussion include:

• Clancy Broxton, Senior Social Marketing & Commodities Advisor, United States Agency of International Development (USAID)
• Bidia Deperthes, Senior HIV Technical Advisor, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
• Serra Sippel, President of the Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE)
• Jeff Spieler, Sr., Technical Advisor for Science & Technology, USAID
• Jessica Terlikowski, Co-Founder, National Female Condom Coalition and Director of Prevention Technology Education, AIDS Foundation of Chicago

"The nation and the world are becoming more aware of the health benefits, healthcare system savings, and personal empowerment provided by the female condom," stated Karen King, President and CEO of The Female Health Company. "Amid a climate of growing awareness and demand, along with greater availability -- thanks to the work of the advocates, public health clinics, health agencies and NGOs with which we partner -- the time is right for a closer look at the benefits of the FC2 female condom."

As the only available female-controlled method of protection from sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS, and unplanned pregnancy, the female condom brings empowerment and choice to women, who can better negotiate safer sex and take charge of their own protection. It is a vital, cost-effective and highly efficacious way to stem the epidemic of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates there are 19 million new sexually transmitted infections in the United States each year. It is also estimated that over 24,000 women each year in the U.S. lose the ability to conceive or carry a pregnancy to term due to undiagnosed or untreated STIs. In March 2008, the CDC announced a study indicating that 26 percent of female adolescents in the United States have contacted at least one of the most common STIs.  Led by the CDC's Sara Forhan, the study was the first to examine the combined national prevalence of common STIs among adolescent women in the United States. Overall, approximately half of all the teens in the study reported having intercourse on one or more occasions. Among these girls, STI prevalence approximated 40 percent.

FC2, manufactured by The Female Health Company, is the only female condom in the world with U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval as well as clearance from the World Health Organization.

About The Female Health Company

The Female Health Company, based in Chicago, Illinois, manufactures and markets the FC2 Female Condom® (FC2). Since the Company began distributing FC2 in 2007, the product has been shipped to 144 countries. The Company owns certain worldwide rights to the FC2 Female Condom®, including patents that have been issued in a number of countries around the world. The patents cover key aspects of FC2, including its overall design and manufacturing process.  The FC2 Female Condom® is the only currently available female-controlled product approved by FDA that offers dual protection against sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS, and unintended pregnancy. The World Health Organization (WHO) has cleared FC2 for purchase by U.N. agencies.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140908/144176
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120712/MM39764LOGO

SOURCE The Female Health Company