CHICAGO, Sept. 15, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Female Health Company (FHC) (NASDAQ:FHCO), manufacturer of the world’s leading female condom, the FC2 Female Condom® (FC2), announces the achievement of a significant milestone: the Company has now sold more than 500 million female condoms in more than 144 countries since FHC’s first generation product, FC1, was introduced in 1995.
On Global Female Condom Day, September 16, 2015, FHC will sponsor seven global events focused on increasing awareness and availability of FC2 around the world. To mark Global Female Condom Day, FHC, the global market leader, is collaborating in the creation of international events that focus on female condom access and use. Highlights from the events, which will be subsequently available on the FC2 Global Female Condom Day website, are provided below.
United States: A Reception to celebrate Global Female Condom Day was held at Provision 14 in Washington, DC. At the event, which was held during the US Conference on AIDS, FHC sponsored a reception along with the Center for Health and Gender Equity, 30 for 30 Campaign and the National Female Condom Campaign.
Amsterdam: A Pop-Up FC2 Female Condom Workshop is being held at the Museum Square in Amsterdam. The Female Health Company, Dance4Life and Rutgers are assembling outdoors in the center of the city to sponsor an event that features a pop-up female condom workshop on how to use the female condom.
Kenya: Muthaa Community Development Foundation, the NGO representing FC2 in Kenya, is partnering with the Ministry of Health (NASCOP) to create a female condom outreach in Mariakiani, which is located in the Coast Province of Kenya.
Malawi: The Hunger Project, the NGO representing FC2 in Malawi (southeast Africa), is organizing an outdoor event in the Kasungo district in Malawi. The outdoor event will provide a learning opportunity for other districts and Female Condom stakeholders. Prominent guests include UNFPA, USAID, and the Malawi Ministry of Health.
Mozambique: Pathfinder Mozambique, the NGO representing FC2 in Mozambique, is leading a march for female condoms in the capital city of Maputo that will end at a health fair, where several outdoor theater plays and musical performances about the FC2 will be held. Similar fairs will take place in Inhambane and the port city of Xai-Xai.
Zambia: Zambia Health Education Community Trust (ZHECT), the NGO representing FC2 in Zambia, is organizing an essay contest about the female condom. This year’s question for the essay: “In what way does the female condom contribute to the prevention of cervical cancer in women?”.
Zimbabwe: A 15-minute FC2 documentary is airing on the only national television channel in Zimbabwe. Additionally, two print advertisements are running in Zimbabwe’s most widely circulated daily newspaper.
“The Female Health Company aims to raise awareness that 215 million women in the world still do not have access to contraceptives and that women contract more than half of all new HIV infections,” stated O.B. Parish, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Female Health Company. “Additionally, unintended pregnancies continue to be a major health and economic issue worldwide. While women aged 15–19 are responsible for about 11% of all births worldwide, such adolescents account for 23% of the overall burden of disease (disability- adjusted life years) associated with pregnancy and childbirth.”
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 against sexually transmitted infections (STIs). It is a vital, cost-effective and highly efficacious way to stem the epidemic of HIV/AIDS and other STIs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates the number of new sexually transmitted infections in the United States at 19 million annually. 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.
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.
CONTACT: Michele Greco Executive Vice President and C.F.O. The Female Health Company MGreco@femalehealthcompany.com 312-595-9123 Denise Van Dijk Senior Market Development Manager The Female Health Company denisevand@thefemalehealth.co.uk
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