Two additional female condoms have been prequalified by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Prequalification is a key objective of pharmaceutical manufacturers wanting to enter the contraceptive commodity arena globally. With the addition of O’lavie® (or Woman’s Condom) manufactured by Shanghai Dahua Medical Apparatus Co. in China and Velvet®, manufactured by HLL Lifecare Limited, India, there are now four female condoms prequalified for institutional procurement under donor-funded programs.
Aside from giving women more choice based on personal preference, adding two additional options may lead to more competitive pricing for large scale commodity purchasers (e.g. USAID), increasing affordability. The female condom is the single option available to women that provides protection against both pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.
For more on the female condom, click here. Information on the newly prequalified female condoms, as well as other female condoms in the development pipeline, is also available in Calliope, the Contraceptive Pipeline Database.