From Patricia Campbell, Chartex International
London
I was extremely surprised to read the title “Female condom fails to stop HIV”
(This Week, 12 April, p 7). On further reading it became clear that you had used
the term “female condom” as a misnomer for the chemical Nonoxynol-9, commonly
used as a spermicide.
As medical director of Chartex International, which manufactures and supplies
the female condom, I wish to make it clear that the female condom has indeed
been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration as a method which “helps to
prevent pregnancy and sexually transmissible diseases including HIV”.
Studies have been conducted to demonstrate that the female condom, known
variously as Reality or Fem, provides an effective barrier to a number of
organisms, including HIV.
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