A second generation female condom (FC2) has been granted regulatory approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The new device is cheaper than current female condoms, uses a soft new material, and is easier to produce.
Executive Director of the Center for Health and Gender Equity, Serra Sippel, maintains that since there is a world wide HIV pandemic, it is important women have a "women-centered prevention options." With the creation of this new female condom women can have the power of prevention, according to Sippel.
Mary Ann Leeper, the Strategic Advisor for Female Health Co., the company that developed the original female condom, and the second generation one, applauded the regulatory approval from the FDA. She believes that it is an important step in insuring that women in the U.S. and around the world receive an affordable device when it comes to the prevention of HIV.
The fact that women do not have to be at the mercy of this disease, but can take active steps to prevent its onslaught, is an important step in empowering women in taking control over their health.