Spoilt for choice

By Nienke Blauw, Advocacy Officer UAFC Joint Programme (Rutgers WPF, The Netherlands) and Saku Mapa, HIV Officer: Prevention, Treatment and Care (IPPF Central Office)

Like male condoms, female condoms (FCs) provide protection against unintended pregnancy and most sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV. However, unlike their male counterparts, female condoms remain a relatively unknown and underfunded dual protection method. For a long time, the success of the product has been affected by a combination of frequent stock-outs, skepticism, myths and prejudices, high prices, and lack of variety.

In 2008, the Universal Access to Female Condoms (UAFC) Joint Programme was formed by four organizations (Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I+solutions, Rutgers WPF and Oxfam Novib) to address the bottlenecks around availability and access to female condoms. As part of its holistic approach (combination of advocacy, large scale female condom programming, and manufacturing support and regulatory issues), UAFC commissioned a clinical study in China and South Africa to compare the functional performance of and preferences for three new female condom designs (Cupid, Women’s Condom and VA w.o.w.) compared to a ‘control’ design, called Female Condom 2 (FC2).  In each country, around 300 people took part in the study who were primarily urban women aged 18-45 who were either novice or experienced users of female condoms.       

"The female condom is gaining ground as it should do, I myself used throughout my life six different methods for family planning and protection, not even counting abstinence, this shows that variety is key." Marijke Wijnroks, Director for Social Development / HIV and SRHR ambassador for the Netherlands

The primary goal of the study was to look into the device functioning (clinical and non-clinical breakage, total breakage, slippage, misdirection, and invagination), while the study also looked into safety and acceptability. It was found, both in China and South Africa, that most women preferred the Women’s Condom. Overall, the study concluded that the three new condoms are non-inferior to the FCS, and recommended them as worthwhile products to add to the market alongside the FC2 (report available here).

The data gathered during this study will be used to secure regulatory approvals for the female condoms, including UNFPA/WHO prequalification. The Cupid female condom, as well as its manufacturer Cupid Ltd, was the first to fulfill all requirements and was prequalified by UNFPA/WHO in July 2012, thereby introducing more variety to the  female condom market.

At a recent meeting in The Hague, The Netherlands, some experts spoke out in support of this development as an important step in the right direction as variety of designs will increase competition leading to lower prices for procurers and eventually also for users, thus providing better access and more choice.

For more information about the UAFC Joint Programme visit: www.condoms4all.org.

Download the full issue of the IPPF HIV Update newsletter: http://ippf.org/resource/HIV-Update-April